Idaho voter attitudes on economic/environmental issues

MALHEUR LUMBER COMPANY
POST OFFICE BOX 160, JOHN DAY, OR 97845 (503) 575-2054
May 12, 1993
Honorable Cecil Andrus
Governor, State of Idaho
Boise, Idaho 83720-1000
Dear Governor Andrus:
Although I live in Oregon, much of the press and news coverage we
receive is from the State of Idaho, and specifically from the Boise
area. First of all let me say that I am a supporter of the way you
manage the affairs of the great State of Idaho. You seem to have
meshed very well the usage of raw materials your state has been
blessed with, while preserving the beauty and amenities that are so
unique to Idaho. I further am envious with the way you support and
protect the industries that have made Idaho so strong; specifically
mining, grazing, and the timber industry. In your attempt to continue
to support Idaho industries and their workers. I noticed a newscast
this past week that addressed the fact that some of the foothills fire
salvage timber was purchased by Oregon Companies, thus taking jobs
away from Idaho employees. I applaud your deep concerns for keeping
the timber and jobs local, but I feel I need to respond to you about
our own position since we purchased one of those timber sales.
Malheur Lumber Company is located in John Day, Oregon, about 180 miles
west of Boise. We built our sawmill in 1983 with assurance from the
Forest Service that they would meet their Forest Plan timber targets
on the Malheur, Wallowa-Whitman, and Umatilla National Forests. We
cut approximately 40 million board feet per year of ponderosa pine in
our sawmill and employ approximately 175 millworkers and loggers.
Like you, Mr. Andrus, we are very proud of our State, our community
and our employees. We have not missed a day of production since 1983
and intend to maintain that trend.
Our first three or four years of operation went basically as we had
planned with approximately 90% of the timber we purchased and used
being National Forest timber. Starting in 1987, the Wallowa-Whitman
and Umatilla Forest which supply timber to the LaGrande, Oregon
sawmills began large scale reductions in timber harvest and
specifically in ponderosa pine volume sold. At that point the Boise Cascade
plant based in LaGrande began bidding on the Malheur National
Forest and hauling logs 150 miles North from John Day to LaGrande.
Jobs and timber were being taken away from our communities and small ­business
operations by Boise-Cascade and transferred to their plants
in LaGrande. From that point on the competition for timber on the
Malheur National Forest has been extremely competitive as it now is
everywhere. Before Boise-Cascade began bidding extremely high prices
for the wood in our areas, the local sawmills were selling chips,
sawdust and shavings to Boise-Cascade to support their paper mills and
particle board plants. I can assure you now that we are not selling
residual products to Boise-Cascade because of their past practices and
bullying of small businesses. This is a view of Boise-Cascade that I
felt I needed to share with you how they are perceived in our area.
Our company does not enjoy the fact that we must go 200 +miles to get
the raw material we need to operate. We hope that we are not
displacing any workers in Idaho because of our actions. Mr. Andrus ,
I felt the need to point out some of the complexities involved in the
completion for timber and how some of the infringements in working
areas have taken place. It is simply not just Oregon mills coming to
Idaho to buy timber and putting Idaho people out of work. We're
fighting for survival and good part of our problem has come from
Boise-Cascade, an Idaho based industry, buying hundreds of Millions of
board feet of timber in what was once our working area thus putting
our people at risk of losing jobs and homes. Please don't get me
wrong, business is business, and I understand Boise-Cascade's actions.
I just ask that you see the e11tire picture and understand our need to
purchase logs in the Idaho area.
Thank you for taking the time to read my comments.
Sincerely,
Malheur Lumber Company
Tom Partin
Manager
CONSTITUENT AFFAIRS TRACKING
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Cecil D. Andrus
Number: 10327
Name: Earl, Elmer
OrgL
Address: River Route
Address: Zip: 83501 City: Lewiston
Date: 04/05/93
Class:IT
Type: Letter
Phone: (208)
SSN:
Phone: (208)
Case:
State:
County: Nez Perce
Assigned To
Andy Brunelle Date:04/05/93
Org.:Governor's Office
Phone: (208)334-2100 Due:05/05/93
Current Referral
Jerry Conley Date:04/05/93
Org.:Fish And Game
Phone: (208)334-3700 Due:04/19/93
Subject
Timber Issue--tky for help, but please help more
Notes
04/06/93 2:57 PM Tracking memo: Report to Governor on Your Letter Head.
04/05/93 Referred to Fish And Game, Jerry Conley
*****************************************************************************
ACTION:
Please look into the attached matter and send a report directly to the
Governor on your department's letterhead, bearing in mind that the
Governor may send it on to the constituent with his own letter and
return this form and all documentation to the Governor's office.
Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Dear Friend
April 1-1993
I wish to thank you for your prompt response to my timber marketing
problems, with the fish and game department. I have bin atempting
to get a paper alowing me to use my access road out to Waha ,every
since the game department aquired the land containing this road..
I had aproval from Sam Mcneal , Walt Berry and Walt Brown at the
local office here.. They sent letters to the main office requesting
rights for me to use this road. There was no responce.
Aparently My father gave Burdebt prince a paper alowing permishion for
him to use the road crossing our lands. I feal that the Earl ranch
shound have the same rights.
In Jerry Conleys letter of 2-4- 1993 he states that they would be
willing to discuss the use of the road crossing their property b/
between my upper property and the river. This would restore some value
to my timber, but the pperation would be excessley expensive as it
would cost at least a hundred dollars a thousand to ferry logs across
the river with a Helicoptor. To do selective loging like the
the land board recomended the amount of timber at a time would be to
small to justify bringing in a Helicopter. There is no reasonable reason
for not leting me use the road like we did before. Madden creek
which the road goes up was bone dry last fall. The road coming the
main captain John creek does not cross the creek on fish and game
land. and is not close enough to the .creek so that any gradeing would
get into the creek. On my upper place the road crosses a branch of
Captain John creek called Browns creek, this would require a culvert
or small bridge. With this,useing this road would create no
impact on any fish. There for there is no real excuse for all this
problum. I would sincerley apreciat anything that you can do to get
me a paper permiting the Earl Ranch a right to use our access road.
As for the wild life I feal that you have not bin acruatley informed.
In order for a govenor to make just desisions he needs to know bouth
side of the story.
Page 2
This is a report on the wild life and birds on the prince ranch.
When the game department acquired this ranch it had a history of
Wintering 350 to 400 head of cattle. In addition to these there was
Areound 175 to 200 head of eld wintered here, well over 75 deer and
Hundreds of Chucker birds. Under game department management the birds
And game and are down between 50 and 75 persent. Vast Areas of the
Hills are vocered with yellow star thissel. In places this makes
It almost imposable to walk. No birds live in these aeras.
What has caused all this sisaster is the disrubtion of the food
Sycle. By not allowing grazeing of the cattle the grass became unpalatable
For game. In about 6 years the deer all moved north
To the Waha aera, where cattle ate the grass off alowing
New desirable feed to grow. This also led the deer into the farms
Where they did so much damage that the people got up a patishion
Forseing the game department ot open the seaon. In a very short
Time over 80 persent of these deer were killed or woonded to they
Died. The game department was unwilling to admit that
Cattle had built up all the good wild life
Food in the past. In trying to restore the damage that they had done
They resorted to burning, which of course improved the game feed but
Was a total didaster to the Chucker birds. When ever you have a rage
Fire birds vacate the aera for 2 or 3 years. As a result of these
fires they lost virtualey all of their birds. Most of them flew over
across the river where they still are. Also I still have birds on
my land where there has bin no burning. In the
years that the game department has had the Prince Ranch they
have planted Chine Pesants and outher birds, they planted
many trees and sage brush. Not one single thing has survived. The
Bottome line here is that they couldn’t be posabley have done any
Worse. Ad for the access, before the game department acquired this
Land the road was kept locked part of the time out a Waha but
Many people had keeys to it and also there was a jeep road
Around this gate, so it ws not at all uncomen to have 8 or
10 cars by my place in hunting season. The game department
Has allowed no one to use a vehickle on this road except me.
In the 1950s the game department planted chucker birds on my
Land which I very much approved of, these multiplied like crazy
And became a wonderful asset to the bird hunting. Later they
Planted wild turkeys and mountain sheep on my property.
Page 3
Which I very much approved of, the turkey flock still stays most of
The time on my property and have gained but in few numbers,
This winter there is 27. The mountain sheep are about the most
Beautifull so called wild animules there is. But they also
The tamest of all wild animules ans so they like ot be around where
There are people. If they don’t hurt them they will come up
Up very close to you. They often swim the sanke river now spent most of their time
Over on the Washington side of the river where there is a heighway
Houses dogs a people. In the spring I see the very young lambs in
The road. Last year I had to stop 6 times to allow the hurd to get
Out of the roas on the way to Asotin, these sheep are a super
attraction for toursets, one day while takeing pictures a young
ram stoped by the side of my car so close I could almost touch
him. The fact that seer are disturbed by people is an elusion as
often they feed right in towns areound the aera. Elk like the
feed that farmers raise so they sleep in the brush around their
fields an feed in their fields at night. On oreg mountain here
the more it was logged and grazed the better feed got for the
eld, so huge hurds developed here since the 1930s. Where there but a
few head before.
I feal that government agenceys taeking the lands away from us
People is the worst didaster that has ever acured in the history of
The United Staed, and that they should not be allowed to equire
Anymore lands. All this problumb over this road here is caused by
Fish and game trying to forse my neighbors to sell to the. I am
Deeply conserned about this as their lands are part of my summer pasture
I feal that if the deal of the game department buying Cregmountain
Had bin property resircked this disaster might not have ever accured
Yours Truly
Elmer Earl
IDAHO FISH & GAME
600 South Walnut
P.O. Box25
Boise, ID 83707-0025
The Honorable Cecil o. Andrus
Office of the Governor
Statehouse
Boise 10 83720
RE: Elmer Earl
Dear Governor Andrus:
April 19, 1993
This is a follow-up to Mr. Elmer Earl's letter of April 1, 1993, regarding the use of the
Madden Creek access road on Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area as a logging haul road.
As stated in our earlier correspondence, we are concerned about the establishment of a pattern
of use by logging trucks on this road. Also, the residents of the Ponack and Waha Glen
subdivisions on this same road have expressed concern regarding logging traffic in the past.
In addition to the Earl property, there are other upstream landowners on Captain John Creek
who could also demand access to haul logs over the same road. This would create a long-term
disturbance to wildlife that is not consistent with our objectives for management of this
wildlife management area. We suggest that Hr. Earl meet with the other landowners to see if a
joint logging operation with a different haul route or helicopter use might be economical.
we are willing to continue the verbal access agreement mentioned by Mr. Earl which a allows
movement of livestock on the road and to allow access for administration of his properties,
but this access is restricted to Hr. Earl and his immediate family.
Our regional staff met personally with Hr. Earl and discussed this situation in detail. We
will continue to try and reach an agreement that will allow Mr. Earl to harvest some logs
without adversely affecting the Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
JMC:TP: 11
Cecil D. Andrus I Governor
Jerry M. Conley I Director
Equal Opportunity Employer
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-1000
A VIEW FROM THE CAPITOL
By: Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of Idaho
For use the week of
May 1, 1993
(208) 334·21 00
The white blossoms of the dogwoods and the pink of the cherry trees signaled
spring's rebirth last week in Washington, D.C. The spirit of renewal seemed to affect
everything -- including Idaho's Congressional delegation, which for the first time in
my experience agreed unanimously that we need at last to settle our wilderness
question.
This long festering issue must be resolved. As the chairman of a key House
oversight committee put it, continued resistance of Idaho interest groups to a
compromise will not serve our interests in the long run.
The chairman, Representative George Miller of California, the
environmentalists' champion on Capitol Hill, said a continued confrontation between
multiple use advocates and pro-wilderness groups can only result in the solution being
taken out of Idaho's hands. He urged us to involve local environmentalists so that
when the bill comes to Washington, their national groups can't say they were locked
out of the process.
Those of us in Idaho who can see the forces at work in Washington understand
how vital it is to come to terms over our wild lands. It is vital to the timber industry,
whose future supply of wood fiber lies locked away in nine million acres of roadless
territory that is de facto wilderness, and vital to outdoor enthusiasts and our growing
--2--
tourism industry, which leverages Idaho's splendid quality of life into big business.
In 1993, the stakes are greater than ever. And as national environmental ·
organizations increasingly turn their attention to Idaho, the last state to resolve its wild
lands, pressure will continue to mount.
Mindful of Congressman Miller's warning, Idaho's Congressional delegation
and I met last week to seriously plan how we can push a bill past the obstacles to
success -- intractable advocates on either side of the question who want it all their
way, and a Congress that views Idaho as "the wilderness state."
When I asked, "Do we want a bill?" all four of Idaho's members of Congress
said yes.
To move ahead, we decided to assemble two task forces, one to help solve the
sticky subject of water language and another to keep an eye on jobs. In addition, my
working group on timber supply and the Snake River adjudication process --both keys
to resolving a statewide wilderness bill -- will continue their work.
I believe any recognition of employment impacts from a wilderness bill should
never overlook the fact that more jobs are at risk by doing nothing than by doing
something.
Bi-partisan cooperation is crucial. Committee chairmen told their Idaho
colleagues and me that no bill should be submitted to Congress that we don't agree
on. Congress won't be Idaho's referee.
What to do about Idaho's wilderness expanse is a complex and emotional
question, but I've never been as optimistic as I am today that we will be able to solve
it ourselves. Why? Because this is the first time Idaho has ever had all four members
of its Congressional delegation committed to it.
--30--
WESTERN COUNCIL OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF" CARPENTERS AND .JOINERS OF AMERICA
May 6, 1993
The Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
State House
700 W. Jefferson
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Governor Andrus:
Enclosed for your information, please find a copy of the executive summary of a poll recently
released by the Western Council of Industrial Workers measuring Idaho voters' opinions regarding
timber jobs and wilderness issues. The poll was released last week at news conferences held in
Boise and Coeur d'Alene. I have enclosed a representative sample of the media coverage
surrounding the release of the poll for your review.
I believe the results of the poll speak for themselves -- A vast majority of Idaho voters agree (90%)
that timber jobs are somewhat or very important to Idaho. Almost half (49%) of those polled said
they are not willing to risk a single job to protect wilderness areas, while a majority (60%) favor
giving equal weight to protecting both jobs and wilderness.
Our union has long called for a solution to the wilderness debate that will protect a reasonable
amount of wilderness while providing sufficient forest land for multiple-use. The poll clearly shows
that Idaho voters also favor a balanced solution -- they recognize that we must protect jobs as well
as wilderness.
We hope that by continuing communication between our union, the Idaho congressional delegation,
specifically Congressman Larry LaRocco, and yourself, we will resolve the wilderness issue in a
balanced manner that addresses our union's concerns and the concerns of all Idaho residents.
We look forward to working with you. If I can be of further assistance, please call me at
503-228-0235.
Sincerely,
Michael Draper
Executive Secretary
enclosures
POLITICAL/MEDIA RESEARCH, INC.
IDAHO VOTER ATTITUDES ON
ECONOMIC/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
SURVEY REPORT
CONDUCTED FOR:
WESTERN COUNCIL OF
INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
MARCH 1993
1000 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 9 (LL), Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 338-4167
HOW THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED
This study was commissioned by the Western Council of Industrial
Workers in order to measure Idaho voter attitudes on economic and
environmental issues. The survey was conducted by Political/Media
Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from March 17 through March 19,
1993.
A total of 430 registered voters in Idaho were interviewed
statewide by telephone. Those interviewed were selected by the
random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A
cross-section of exchanges in the state were utilized in order to
ensure a balanced sampling.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by
statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4.8 percentage points
for the entire group. This means that there is a 95 percent
probability that the ''true'' figure would fall within that range if
all Idaho voters were surveyed. The margin for error is higher
for any subgroup of the sample, such as a district or gender
grouping.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
IDAHO WILDERNESS POLL
1) VOTERS UNIVERSALLY BELIEVE TIMBER JOBS ARE VITAL TO IDAHO
An astounding 90% of those surveyed agreed that timber jobs
are somewhat or very important to Idaho.
2) IDAHO CITIZENS ARE UNWILLING TO RISK JOBS TO PROTECT
WILDERNESS AREAS
Almost half (49%) said they are not willing to risk a single
job to protect wilderness areas, while 55% said they would
sacrifice 999 jobs or less. When asked how the prospect of
job losses and other human and economic costs should be
balanced with the goal of protecting wilderness areas, the
majority (60%) favored giving equal weight to protecting
jobs and wilderness.
3) A MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS ARE UNWILLING TO SACRIFICE FUNDING
FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT ADDITIONAL WILDERNESS
AREAS
Respondents were unwilling to sacrifice funding for schools
and communities by a 2-to-1 margin. A majority (57%) said
they were unwilling to sacrifice funding for schools and
communities to protect additional wilderness areas, while
only 29% said they were willing to sacrifice funding. Of
those willing to sacrifice funding, 31% said they were
willing to sacrifice 24% of the funding or less and 24% said
they were not sure how much funding they were willing to
sacrifice.
4) RESIDENTS BELIEVE SALVAGING IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE FOREST
HEALTH
Overall, 41% of those surveyed agreed that salvaging is
needed to assist in the prevention of forest fires and to
improve forest health, while only 25% thought dead and dying
trees should be left in the forest to assist in providing
natural habitat for wildlife. A remarkable 78% said they
would accept building temporary roads for salvaging in
roadless areas and 86% said they would accept salvaging in
roadless areas if salvaging could be done without building
roads.
5) BY OVERWHELMING MARGINS, RESIDENTS BELIEVE THERE IS ENOUGH
FEDERAL FOREST LAND CURRENTLY DESIGNATED AS WILDERNESS IN
IDAHO
When asked if the four million acres currently designated as
wilderness is too much, not enough, or about right, 83% said
the amount was "too much" or "about right." An astounding
68% said the current amount is "about right." When asked if
designating an additional 1.4 was too much, not enough, or
about right, almost half (47%) said this additional
designation would be "too much," while 34% said the
additional wilderness was "about right."
VOL 86 NO. 269 THURSDAY. APRIL 29. 1993 3 SECTIONS. 36 PAGES 50 CENTS
Poll: Idaho favors multiple-use
By staff and
The Associated Press
COEUR d'ALENE- A majori·
ty of Idaho voters favor giving
equal weight to protecting the
wilderness and saving jobs, says a
survey released by union repre­sentatives.
Speaking from the site of the
old WP Forest Products lumber
mill, labor leaders called for com·
promise in Idaho's wilderness
protection debate.
"We believe the forest should
be managed as a valuable
resource for everybody," said
Mike Pieti of the Western Council
of Industrial Workers, which com­missioned
the study.
Of a total of 430 registered
Idaho voters interviewed over the
telephone, 90 percent concluded
timber jobs were somewhat or
very important to Idaho. About 60
percent favored equal treatment
for timber production and wilder­ness.
"Idaho residents recognize if
we do not achieve a balanced
solution to the wilderness issue,
the economic stability of Idaho
and forest health stand at risk,"
Pieti said.
Based in Portland, the 30,000-
member council is the political
arm of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters and joiners of
America.
Pieti said the council endors­es
a solution that sets aside
KILMER
Mike Pieti of the Western
Council of Industrial Workers
joins other labor represent&·
tlves to call for balance in
wilderness protection legisla­tion.
some wilderness areas and
leaves others for multiple use
such as timber harvest and
recreation.
He said that his organization
has not yet taken a stand on the
wilderness bill introduced by
Rep. Larry LaRocco, D-Idaho, in
March, which proposes multiple
use for some of Idaho's remain-ing
9 million acres of roadless
land.
LaRocco's bill would release
2.5 million acres for multiple use
and designates more than a half­million
acres as special manage­ment
areas. More than 1.2 mil­lion
acres would be protected as
wilderness.
The poll by Political-Media
Research of Washington, D.C ..
also found half of those polled
were not willing to risk a single
job to protect wilderness. Six
percent said they would sup­port
the loss of 1.000 jobs or
more.
Some 57 percent were unwill­ing
to sacrifice funding for
schools and communities to pre­serve
wilderness, while 29 per­cent
would do so. Last year.
Idaho counties received $19.4
million from Forest Service tim­ber
sales receipts.
Overall, 41 percent agreed sal­vaging
dead timber after forest
fires is needed to protect the
health of the forest, while 25 per­cent
thought dead and dying
trees should be left to provide
natural habitat for wildlife.
Nearly 80 percent said they
would accept building temporary
roads for salvaging and 86 per­cent
backed salvaging if it could
be done without new roads,
which involves helicopter log­ging.
"Salvaging can provide some
timber for production. easing the
timber drought and keeping mills
open and protecting jobs," said
Lou Foruria, local carpenter
union president in Emmett.
He said the Fernan Ranger
District near Coeur d'Alene has
the worst root rot infection of any
area in the country, and called
the district one of the areas
where salvage would help "stem
the crisis."
A strong majority of those
contacted, 68 percent, said the 4
million acres already managed as
wilderness in Idaho is "about
right." Fifteen percent said it is
too much. Nearly half also
thought designating an extra 1.4
million acres of roadless land as
wilderness would be too much,
while 35 percent thought the
amount was "about right."
Union officials said they were
optimistic that log supplies would
increase by june, citing President
Clinton's recent promise at a
recent timber summit in Portland
for action within 60 days.
Pieti said a move to ensure
logs are further processed in the
United States, adding more jobs,
will work for public lands. But
many of the raw logs shipped to
Japan, for example, come off pri­vate
forests and are not required
to be processed further in this
country.
The margin for error was plus
or minus 4.8 percent. The
respondents had to be registered
to vote and actively go to the
polls, said Del Ali of Political­Media.
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Chubb Securities Corporation
Branch Office: 102 South 17th Street, Suite 200, Boise, 10 83702
(208) 343-977 4
OLANI B. BEAL, CLU, ChFC
Registered Representative
Apr i 1 6 , 1 9 9 3
Governor Cecil Andrus
Governor's Office
Idaho Statehouse
Boise, Idaho 83702
Dear Governor Andrus,
I read your recent comments regarding recommending the
President ban the sale of raw logs to foreign countries from
private landowners with great interest. Let's see if I
understand this position correctly- ·
It is my understanding that you are fully supportive of the
ban on cutting timber to preserve the spotted owl. This is
leading to the loss of a massive number of jobs, the
depression of entire communities and the spiralling costs of
building homes especially in the Northwest (which includes
Idaho, a State you have sworn to support and protect). Now
that you have thrust your entire support to the spotted owl,
you want to deny private landowners a basic right.
Would you please send by return mail the legal
constitutional backing you are basing this recommendation
on? I would be most interested to see how people in
governing positions can take. a radical environmental stand
and then break the law by "banning private landowners from
selling their products in their manner of choice to a third
party."
If you feel so strongly about owls and trees, why don't you
at least have the courage to accept the responsibility such
actions carry with them and not try to escape by placing
illegal burdens on people who are productive and are a
source of balancing our trade. Please Governor, send me
documentation showing your legal position, or recant your
recommendation to the President.
Sincerely,
Member Boston Stock Exchange, NASD and SIPC
United States
De)?artmcnt of
Agriculture
D<-.ar Reader:
Forest
Service
I j'
Payette
National
Forest
P .0. Box 1026
McCall t ID 83638
Reply to: 1950
Date: April 15, 1993
Thank you for your interC'.'It in dcv<>lopm~nt of the Steen Creek Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). The timber sale will salvage timber killed in the August 1992, Windy Ridge
Fire, F,nclosed yo~ will fmd the documc~nt's summary.
fl'he Final EIS explorC'n~ management op~ion.s for tl\e burned area., which lies within t'be Intlia.n
Creek 1l.c:>a.dlt.!S8 Area.. We have examined alternatives ra.nging fi'OOl No Action to varying degrees
of timber salva.gc and reha.hiliti:\Uon. The environmental, economic, and social impacts have been
highlighted for f.~a.ch alternative.
Alternative 3 is the proposc~d action a1tMna.tive. '!'his a.lkrnative, a.lon.g with tl1" other
considen,d a.ltcrnatiws, i!ll discussed in d•!ta.il in tb~ attached litm-ature.
Fire-killed timlu'r dctcriora.~c~ rapidly. As a. result, I have Mkcd the R<..-gional liOtcstcr to el(cmpt
this der.iAion from a.p.1u~a.l. The Regimml Forester wiJl make the decision whether o.r not to
exou•pt this satva.g~ timber salo rrom a.ppE>.a.l within appmxitna.tely tlm next 30 dH.ys. I will1•ot
select a.n a.ltcnmtive a.nd 11ign the R.ec:urd of Decisiura for Steen Creek SaJvagf.' Timber Sale untU
tlu.~ Regional Forcs\01 ma.k1~~ a. decision on appeal ex~mption.
lf you have qtw~l,ions or cornrncntst pleas~ contact thH Counclllta.t•gcr Distrid1 P.O. Rux. 567,
Counc:il, Idaho 83612, (208)253--1215.
Copies of the Final J.:Js arc avallahl~ by reque~>t.
Sincerely,
~~~~.....,ti(A_~
DAVID F. ALEXANDER
Forest Sup~rvisor
F.ndosure
Summary of the
FINAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Introduction and Proposed Action
This Final Environmental Impact Statement ~Final EIS) discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative
effects of alternative salvage timber harvest and road construction actions in the Steen Creek Salvage
project area.
In August, 1992, the Windy Ridge Fire burned 17,500 acres before being contained and controlled.
The Payette National Forest proposes to salvage harvest fire-killed timber in Indian Creek, Bill Gulch,
Jim Gulch, Boulder Creek, Steen Creek, Degits Creek, Bull Gulch, and Elk Creek drainages on the
Council Ranger District (see vicinity map on the inside front cover).
The proposal is designed to achieve the goals and objectives, while moving toward the desired future
condition for resources as identified in the Payette National Forest Plan. Specifically, the project's
objectives are to:
• Salvage harvest fire-killed timber before the timber deteriorates. The timber would
meet current demands.
This can be accomplished by salvaging trees recently killed by the Windy Ridge Fire.
• Improve long-term health of the forest. This will help meet future demands for forest
resources by,
(1) salvage harvesting fire-killed timber and using the resulting funds to reforest the project
area, and
(2) convert mostly dead timber stands to regenerated areas with adequate snags, downed
woody debris, and live trees. This would provide future vertical and horizontal diversity to
meet Forest Plan direction for maintaining wildlife species viability.
Decisions to be Made Based on this Analysis
Based on the analysis documented in this Environmental Impact Statement, Payette National Forest
Supervisor David Alexander will make the following decisions:
• Should portions of the Indian Creek watershed be entered for salvage timber harvest and
management at this time?
5-1
and, if he decides to enter the area for salvage timber management now,
• How can the proposed action move toward the desired future condition for all resources
according to implementation of the Forest Plan?
• What harvest methods, (e.g., clearcut, reserve tree) should be used to ensure both
regeneration of harvest areas and long-term soil productivity, as well as providing habitat for
wildlife species and maintaining visual quality?
• What logging methods, (e.g., tractor, helicopter) should be used to minimize mechanical
disturbance and reduce impacts to soil productivity, water quality, and fish habitat?
• Where should cutting units and associated roads be located to increase diversity of timber
stand age classes and timber stand structures across the landscape?
• What management requirements, mitigation measures, and monitoring are necessary?
• To what extent should economic efficiency be considered?
Document Organization
This document follows the format established in the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regula­tions
(40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508). It is tiered to the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Forest Plan. Documented analysis in the Forest Plan FEIS will be
referenced, rather than repeated in some instances.
The document consists of the following main chapters:
- Chapter I - Purpose and Need for the Action
- Chapter II - The Alternatives Considered
- Chapter Ill - Present Condition and Effect of the Alternatives
- Chapter IV - List of the Preparers
- Chapter V- The Public's Involvement
The Major Issues
The major issues were identified through the scoping process are listed below. The issues are
phrased as questions.
Issue 1 - How will biological diversity be affected?
Issue 2 - How will wildlife habitat be affected?
Issue 3 - How will the timber stands be affected?
Issue 4 - How will water quality affect fish habitat?
Issue 5 - How will the soil be affected?
Issue 6 - How will recreation and visual quality be affected?
S-2
Issue 7 • How will the Indian Creek Inventoried roadless area be affected?
Issue 8 • What economic and socio-economic effects are expected?
THE ALTERNATIVES
Scientists specializing in timber, wildlife, fisheries, soils, watershed, and recreation drafted this
Environmental Impact Statement. They considered the following important elements when develop­ing
the alternatives:
• the goals, objectives, and desired future condition for the project area as outlined in the
Payette National Forest Plan;
• comments received from the public during the issue-scoping phase and on the Draft EIS;
• the laws, regulations, and policies that govern land development on national forests.
The team analyzed the following alternatives in detail:
Alternative 1 - No Action
This alternative provides a baseline to compare the effects of the action alternatives. No salvage
timber harvest or road construction would occur. Natural ecological processes would continue with
very little human intervention. The roadless character and wilderness attributes would not change
from development, except for effects of trail maintenance. The area would continue to offer motorized
recreation in a roaded modified setting.
Alternative 2 - Maximum Conventional Yarding
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area by building the entire proposed road transportation plan. This would
provide the most economic way of salvage harvest in terms of logging systems. The use of conven­tional
logging systems (i.e., tractor, skyline) would be maximized, and the use of helicopters for
yarding would be minimized. Roads would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This is the only
alternative where
• critical wildlife habitat areas would be salvage harvested, and
• special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist would not be implement­ed.
Alternative 3 - Conventional Yarding Emphasized (Selected Alternative)
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area by building most of the proposed road transportation plan. This
alternative would not build the section of road that crosses Degits Creek to access lower Bull Gulch,
or the roads that access the critical wildlife habitat area in Bill Gulch. This would provide an economic
way of salvage harvest in terms of logging systems. The use of conventional logging systems (i.e.,
tractor, skyline) would be emphasized, and the use of helicopters for yarding would be minimized.
Roads would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This alternative does not propose salvage
harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement the special snag retention guidelines
identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 4- Moderate Road Construction With Minimal Road Construction In the Roadless
Area
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area with a moderate amount of road construction. Roads would access
areas for conventional logging systems minimally entering the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This
alternative does not propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement
the special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 5 - Ridgetop Road Construction
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity with a moderate amount of road construction only on the ridgetops. Roads would access
areas for conventional logging systems and would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This
alternative does not propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement
the special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 6 - No New Road Construction
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area with no new road construction; only existing road would be recon­structed.
Use of the helicopter yarding method would be maximized. This alternative does not
propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement the special snag
retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Comparison of the Alternatives
Table SUM-1 below summarizes the features of the alternatives. Table SUM-2 on the next page
compares how the alternatives answer the major issues. (See Chapter Ill for the scientific and analytic
basis for the comparison.)
Table SUM-1. Summary of the Alternatives
Ait 1 Alt 2 Ait 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Total area treated (acres) 0 1,538 1,244 1,244 1,244 1,244
Suitable acres treated (%) 0 58 47 47 47 47
Timber volume (mmbf) 0 18.2 12.5 -- 11.9 --
Logging method (acres)
-tractor 0 454 395 395 373 367
-skyline 0 997 737 398 525 158
-helicopter 0 87 112 451 346 719
S-4
Table SUM-1. Summary of the Alternatives (continued)
Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Slash disposal (acres)
-lop and scatter 0 138 78 69 106 61
-machine pile 0 124 104 104 161 82
-broadcast burn 0 1,005 791 800 803 830
-jackpot pile • 0 271 271 271 174 271
Road Construction (miles) 0 13.5 10.3 6.5 6.2 0
s-s
Table SUM-2 - The Alternatives and The Issues
How will Biodiversity be affected?
Index of effects on sensitive plant species Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
-Bank Monkeyflower neutral negative neutral neutral neutral neutral
-Tolmie's Onion neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral
Acres of Old-growth Forest Retained 172 115 172 172 172 172
How will WlldiHe Habitat be affected?
Acres of Management Indicator Species Habitat Lost or Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Gained
Elk Habitat Effectiveness Rating for IRA 109
-1 to 5 years 24 22 23 23 23 23
-5 to 1 0 years 28 29 29 29 29 29
X: -10 to 15 years 31 38 36 36 •36 36
Elk Habitat Effectiveness Rating for IRA 11 0
-1 to 5 years 30 26 26 26 26 26
-5 to 10 years 48 44 44 44 44 44
-15 to 20 years 56 64 61 61 61 61
Vesper Sparrow
--Early successional stages remaining 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100
Williamson's Sapsucker
-Acres of suitable habitat remainin~:~ 512 384 512 512 512 512
Pileated Woodpecker
-Acres of Old-growth remaining 172 115 172 172 172 172
Acres of TES Habitat Lost or Gained
Flammulated Owl
-Acres of nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
-Acres of foraging habitat remaining 243 115 243 243 243 243
Northern Goshawk
-Acres of nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
How will Wildlife Habitat be affected? (continued)
White-headed Woodpecker
-Acres of nestlngJ1oraging habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
Great Gray ONI
-Acres roosting habitat remaining 243 115 243 243 243 243
-Acres nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
How will the Timber Stands be Affected?
Preaent Net Growth Versus Potential (MBF/1 0 yrs at end Ah 1 All 2 Ah 3 Ah4 AhS Ah6
of rotation)
-Present net growth 132 132 132 132 132 132
-Potential net growth 443 2296 1950 1713 1764 1507
!! Reforeatatlon
-Acres salvage harvested before planting 0 1536 1244 1244 1244 1244
-Acres regenerated 936 1399 1334 1334 1334 1334
Percent of Acree Sllvlcuhurally Trqted to Identified Foreet 0 58 47 47 47 47
Plullntenolty
Avaltoble salvage Volume actually harvested
-percent of total 0 75 56 47 49 48
-board feet of total 0 18.2 12.5 11.4 11.9 11.8
Regeneration according to Identified foreat Plan levels
-percent potential for
future growth & yield 19 100 85 75 n 66
How Will Water Quality Affect Fish Habitat?
Percent OVer Natural Sediment Levela (modeled eotlmateo) Ah1 Ah2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 Ah6
(e-lng condition)
-lower Indian Creek Watershed
1991 9 9 9 9 9 9
1992 56 56 56 56 56 56
1993 19 58 55 39 34 23
1994 12 24 22 18 16 13
1995 9 17 14 14 13 11
-Middle Indian Creek Watershed
1991 20 20 20 20 20 20
1992 37 37 37 37 37 37
1993 23 34 27 25 27 25
1994 20 24 22 21 22 21
1995 19 22 21 20 20 20
Equivalent Clearcut Acree (modeled estimate)
t -lower Indian Creek Watershed 52% 52% 52% 52% 52% 52%
-Middle Indian Creek Watershed 30% 30% 30% 30% 30% 30%
How Will the Soli Be Affected?
Ah 1 Ah2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 AH6
Percent of total resource commhment 1.39 2.69 2.47 2.33 2.23 1.96
How Will the Indian Creek Inventoried Roadless Area fl·· Affected?
Ah 1 AH2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 Ah6
Roedleoo Acrn Developed 0 3835 3658 3658 3658 3658
AcrH of Indian Creek roadleaa aru
Remaining Eligible lor
Wilderness Consideration 6868 0 0 0 0 0
What Economic and Socio-economic Effects Are Expected?
p,...,., Net Value All 1 Alt2 AH3 AH4 AilS AH6
-Diogprice modeled estimate (millions of dollars) -1.9 2.87 1.46 1.19 128 1.03
Jobs and Income related to timber volume
-jobs 0 186 130 120 124 117
-Income (millions of dollars) 0 7.88 5.50 5.10 5.27 4.97
~
'
' • ' .. '-· j-'
Jd~--
Jd~l[]~~W~[OJ P
APR 13 1993
11"
~. •FFICE OF GOVERNOR
.J. D. WILLIAMS
STATE AUDITOR
OFFICE OF THE STATE AUDITOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-0001
April 9, 1993
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
State Lan4 Boar4 Member•
Governor Cecil D. Andrus
Secretary of state Pete T. Cenarrusa
Attorney General Larry EchoHawk
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jerry Evans
Stan Hamilton, D"Cil"rect
J. D. Williams ' •
State Auditor
1208) 334-3100
FAX 334-267 I
SUBJECT: Statements Received Regarding Public Involvement in State
Timber Sales
Attached our three additional statements that I received during the
last round of informational meetings in southern Idaho regarding
public involvement in state timber sales.
I anticipate that we will have a preliminary proposal for the Board
to consider at the April 13 meeting which if approved can be
finalized by the department staff for approval at the May meeting.
My feeling now is to recommend a policy for limiting public
involvement during the first part of the timber sale process. We
can consider putting this in place for the year and then review in
the summer of 1994 to see how it has worked during a full year's
cycle of timber sales planning activities.
Any questions, call me before the meeting.
JDW:pr
Attachments
MISSION: To ENSURE THAT STATE GOVERNMENT IS ACCOUNTABLE TO EVERY IDAHO CITIZEN.
Melinda Harm Idaho Conservation League
-No objection to the constitutional mandate that sets aside
the revenue from Idaho's state lands for our public schools.
-Are objected to attempts to keep public out of the public
involvement process such as last year's H.B. 722 and H.B. 331 both
having to do with judicial challenges and judicial review of timber
sales.
-Timber industry is not out to protect public schools, but to
protect themselves.
-They request notice to the public when the Land Board is
preparing a timber sales through mailings and advertisement.
-Also the seek public review and comment on completed action
document prior to the advertisement for bid or Land Board action.
-Schedule Land Board meetings to take action on the proposed
sale or program in the locale or region of the proposed sale or
program to encourage public attendance and discussion.
Randy Morris, Chair Committee for Idaho's High Desert
-Very concerned about any proposed changes in the procedures
for sale or exchange of state lands.
-They are watching closely the Big Springs exchange and trusts
that the Land Board and Commission will enact only procedures that
guarantee compliance with Article IX, Sec. 8 of the Constitution of
the State of Idaho.
-Please keep them advised of any further developments in this
area.
Tom Glass Past President Idaho State Snowmobile Assoc.
-Strongly encourages recreational consideration on public
lands but finds problems logistically in working with IDL.
-Understands the importance of the obligation to get the
maximum return for the school endowment funds on these public lands
but still pleads for some kind of "Memorandum of Understanding"
between them and the IDL.
-such a memorandum would outline and document groomed
snowmobile trails on state land.
-Wants such a memorandum due to the problems with the loggers
and logging production in the winter. The two interests clash often
during the snowmobiling season.
-Wants to pattern a state relationship after the one they have
with the USFS which, according to Tom, is a very good one.
J.D. Wi.llii'lms
Office of the Stale Auditor
Statehouse Mail
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Mr. Williams,
701 North 19th Street
Boise, ID 83702
April 4, 1993
This ls in response to your invitation for comments and
suggestions regarding a public involvement process for the
management actlvitle>< of the Idaho Department of Lands.
Thank you fnr this opportunity.
I am i'ln ;;.vld snowmobiler and past president of the Idaho
state Snowmotoi.le As~•ociation. Durinq my tennre in office I
received a 11umher of comments from our members concerning the
hiqh hi'lnded and sun,~times i'lrroqant responses they received
wh~n 7>P•:::ak i nq t.o mn.kP some ar.ranCl~ment or nccommodntion tor
snowm,)hi l\nq on St;dp lands.
It appo>i'lr•••i th.,t f-l)f• local manaqerfl In the State [,andfl
Departm~nt were 11ni'lble or unwlllinq to consider recreational
uses in mi'lki.nq l"ln<l-nse decisions. I recognize that they
have an nhligi'ltinn to qet the maximnm return for the school
endowm<'nt: fnnd. Ae; i'l graduate of the University of Idaho on<.l
the father of two others I certainly have no quarrel with
this, but it: sN•m;; incongruous that two elements of the State
government (Parks & Recreation and Tourism) are actively
supporting dnd promot:inq snowmobiling and snowmobile tourism
while the Lands Department seems unwilling to recognize that
recreation .Jnd tourism are important and growing parts of our
state's economy.
I suggest; thAI: Llw Lands Department and Parks and Recreation
annually develop a "Memorandum of Understanding" or some
similar doc11mcnt that would idPntify and list the groomed
snowmobile trails on state land. This could also provide for
the transfer of some modest amount per mile from the ORV Fund
to the School F:ndowment Fund. The main purpose would be put
the local lon<l manaqers on notice that recreation is a
legitimate use of the land and resonrces nnder their
jurlsdlctlnn anrl t:o require thPm to factor such uses into
their planninq and scheduling.
As a winter sport our main concern is with winter logging.
It is very disconcerting to publicize a snowmobile event
.}. 1), Wllii.lll";
>lB.lnq a lnnq c•,l.,h]i,>lwd qroomed trnll only to flnrl on t:h"'
day of I. he "'""'',t l:i>eil: the part of the trai 1 on Stat!'> land has
twen ohlll•··rat:P<l ••r plowt>rl clown to bau" dirt without: not.ir·e.
For the J.•a,;J· sPvr·ral yt>ars our snowmobile clubs have worked
hard to dP.v•>lop ,, qonrl working rf>lationghip with the U. S.
Forest Service tn identify potential conflicts, dP.Vf>lop
alternat.l.vf'c. and rear·h comrrnmi,,e f\olut.ions in arF>as when"
there are both snowmobiling and winter logging. These have
included developing alternatlvt> routes, re-scheduling timber
sales or requiring successful bidders to limit plowing of
roads or rt>move obsta<:les to allow passage around their work
area. 1 would llk~'> to see us develop this same kind of
relationship wllh the managers of 011r state owMed lands.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment. I am
certainly willing t.o participate further in the process if I
can be of assistance. I can be reached in Boise at 344-9749
or Plncervllle at 302-6721 ..
\~ncerely, ~-·.. ~~~;--.....,_
)~ ol.ass ~"-.... \~.. ..
cc: Id.:tl1n PPpa.rt:mr·nt of P.=.rks & Recre~t ion
For Boise's informal public meeting regarding public involvement in state
lands decisions:
Let me first take a moment to thank you for all of your time and effort you
have taken to address this issue. As you know, we at ICL have been working
for some time now to help create a formal process for opening state land
actions to public involvement. This session, we introduced a bill that would
create such a process, S.B. 1175.
This effort is part of a larger campaign of ours to address the need for long­term,
comprehensive planning of state endowment lands. One point I think
is important to make clear from the outset is that we at ICL have no objection
to the constitutional mandate that sets aside our state public lands for our
public schools.
From our perspective, what is good for forest ecosystems Is good for public
schools. Our commitment to work with the Land Board and the Department
of Public Lands to create a public involvement. process reflects this
perspective.
In recent years, attempts have been made (successfully, I might add) to
keep the public out of the process. Last year, H. B. 722 put a 10 percent bond on
judicial challenges of forest sales. And just this session, H.B. 331, the trailer
bill to the Administrative Procedures Act, exempted any judicial review of
timber sales pursuant to the new AP A.
H.B. 722 and H. B. 331 are not bills brought forth by the legislature to assist
the Land Board in fulfilling its .trust obligations. They were put forward by
the timber industry, not to protect public schools, but to benefit themselves.
This is a dangerous precedent. when special interests can waltz into the
statehouse make laws that benefit them and shut everyone else out, it is time
for the citizens of Idaho and the members of the Land Board to take steps that
ensure that state lands are managed for the long-term needs of the school
children, not the Intermountain Forest Products Industry.
Public involvement is an important measure that helps provide this
assurance. Currently, the Department does not provide any notice to the
public when it is preparing a timber sale.
Long-term, sustainable management of endowment lands are needed
provide ongoing benefits to school children and responsible management of
the state's resources.
Public involvement will allow citizens to make sure that the decision­making
process respects the Department's obligation to protect Idaho's public
lands for the benefit of our schools.
This is essentially a question of accountability; it is not a question of
challenging the Land Board's fiduciary responsibilities. If the Land Board is
not accountable to the public, to the parents and the school children of the
state, then who are they accountable to?
ICL's Recommendations for Public Involvement:
--solicit public comment through advertisement and mailings at the
beginning of the planning process outlining the broad concept and the
location of the proposed activity;
--seek public review and comment on the completed action document
prior to the advertisement for bid or Land Board action; and
--schedule the Land Board meeting to take action on the proposed sale or
program in the locale or region of the proposed sale or program to encourage
public attendance and discussion. While we recognize the logistical difficulty
of such meetings, we do think that it is important that we recognize the
potentially valuable input that it lost when meetings are exclusively held
here in Boise.
Once again, thank you for your time this evening and for the time you've
taken throughout the state to gain the public's insight into this process.
At ten: Tlte HonoralJle Cec:i l D Andrus
Land Board Members
Tdaho Department nf Public Lands
1215 W State Street
Boise, Idaho s;n;:o- 7000
Dear· Governor Andt·us,
t; u . ./
The State of Idaho has historically managed the public
resources ir1 a spirit of cuoperatiotl, through a form of open
and honest. cumnmnication. I believe that. the Stat-.e of Idahu
currently has a good system to deal with concerns about
proposed activities planned on their lands. The public has
always had the right t.o express their concerns about state
activities, even to the highest elected officials in the
ctute, the members of the Land Board.
I am opposed to any state system of reviewing timber
sales and other activities, similar to that Ctlrruntly used by
the II S For·es1. Service because it has been abused by parties
to meet their own individual age11das. The Forest Service
system allows sales to be appealed due to procedural
inadequacies without regard to the on the ground results.
Last Friday, the Priest Lake district of the IPNF withdrew
their dvcLo;icm to sell small miscellaneous timber sales under
100 MBF (salvage sales) because they would be appealed. The
District knew that they would loose these appeals because
they had not prope1·ly fulluwed the procedure of their system.
The 1991 sales target on the IPNF was 240 MMBF. The
actual 1H91 "'ales un the IPNF was 178 MMBF. This reSLllted in
a projected revenue loRs of $1,724,065. Bonner County School
Superintendent Gary Barton is anticipating a loss of from
O!le·third to one-}lalf in Forest S8rvlc~ 1·eceipts wl1en
c:ompared t(} previous years. Both Oregon and Washington art--::
curt·ently experier1cir1g school btldget deficj.tt~ du0 to reduced
rc~venue;;::~. The D~::~partment (If Publ.l.c Lands ill the State c,f
Idaho Ctlrrently haR a program that ger1erates $2~,(100,0(10 per
year· f(Jt' the pLtbliu schools of IdallCJ.
The i"3lat.e of Idaho holds title to the endowm<~nt lands in
killit for the spe<oified beneficiarl.es. The terms of the
truf;t require the ~:~t-ate board of land commis::->icJners to manage
the J.ands 111 sucl1 a manner as will 8ecure thP maximt1m long
term financial retut"n to the inc,til.ution to which granted.
I mtwt wonder why the Idaho Com.:erv.>tion League aud
utlwt· •.'nvlronmental gruupc: recently t<ithdrc;w their support
for l•egi,;l:;tl.v•c• bill S.1l75. I am concernc>d with any rules
fo t' pub l ·i c i nv<.!l vemen t. wh .i(:~h would pr .. Jv id~ an a venue to stop
state timber sales. I question if such a procedtlrc> would
secure the .maximum long term financ~ial rettl:t'll tn the
in~titutlons. I believe> that the State of Idaho currently has
:., gouti :.:;y,_d.em that. workc-.. It deale. wl th the concerns ahout
proposed activities t.!Jr.:>ugh a f"rm of open and honest
cumtnurlicatioll. I continue to suppot·t this historical process.
;;:;J-U/ Norm Suenkel
P (J Box 1567
Priest River, Idaho
83856
WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE
1709 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 200061" Telephone: 202-638-G3op
Facsimile: 202-638-0036 Telex: 64414 WRIWASH · \ ,I · I '. \....~ ----~
March, 1993
Dear Friend:
It gives me great pleasure to send you a copy of a new WRI report that considers one
of the most vexing questions facing tropical forestry today: is sustainable forestry possible
in natural forests? This report, Survivint~ the Cut: Natural Forest Mana~:ement jn the Humid
TrQpjcs, examines the record and potential of natural forest management -- often defined
as the selective harvest of timber in natural forests -- as a conservation strategy for the
world's beleaguered humid tropical forests.
Nels Johnson and Bruce Cabarle --both foresters with WRI's Center for International
Development and Environment -- find little encouragement in the record of attempts to
establish natural forest management practices in the humid tropics. One reason for this
limited success has been insufficient attention to what should be two basic objectives of
natural forest management: maintenance of the ecological health of the ecosystem and
provision of local social and economic benefits. Re~irected toward these goals, and provided
a strong institutional base grounded in the local communities, natural forest management
could provide a sound and sustainable development option in some regions, far preferable
to habitat conversion or the establishment of plantations.
As renegotiation of the International Tropical Timber Agreement begins, the findings
of this report are especially relevant to the debate over how to advance the cause of
sustainable forest management. I welcome your reaction and co=ents.
Sincerely,
(Ywi0._)uL
Printed on Recycled Paper
Jonathan Lash
President
Governor
Ce<-i ( :D. /T-tAcl._rcA..S
LARRY LAROCCO
1ST DISTRICT. IDAHO
1117 LONGWORTH BUILDING
WASHINGTON. DC 20515-1201
(202) 2215-8811
COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR
DISTRICT OFFICES:
304 NO. 8TH STREET
BOISE. IDAHO 83702
COMMITTEE ON BANKING (208) 3-43--e211
...-- 0 ;--/;c
The President
~ongrt~~ of tbt Wnittb ~tatt~
}!Joust of ~tpresentatibts
Rla~bington, :S€ 20515
March 12, 1993
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
109 SO. KIMBALL AVENUE
CALDWELL. IDAHO 83805
(208) 459-2382
821 MAIN STREET
LEWISTON, IDAHO 83!101
(208) 748-8894
408 SHERMAN AVENUE
COEUR D'ALENE, IDAHO 83814
(208) 687-2110
Thank you for providing Idahoans an opportunity to
participate in the "Forest Summit" in Portland, Oregon. We
especially appreciate the telephone call from Vice President Gore
to Governor Andrus, and the invitation to Congressman LaRocco to
attend Tuesday's briefing on the summit at the White House.
Although not a •spotted owl" State, Idaho will continue to
experience the fallout from decisions made on forest issues in
the Northwest.
As timber supply decreases, Washington and Oregon mills and
loggers look to Idaho to meet demands. The result is increased
competition for limited federal timber for Idaho mills and
increased pressure on Idaho's forested lands. Furthermore, out­of-
work timber and mill workers from Oregon and Washington will
undoubtedly continue to look to Idaho for employment.
Solutions to the natural resource management and policy
problems in the Northwest, whether securing salmon stocks;
bringing certainty to timber dependent communities; protecting
wildlife; or the health of our national forests have direct
applications to Idaho.
Therefore, we are very pleased your Administration is moving
promptly to consider these complex issues, and we look forward to
working closely with you to achieve real solutions.
With warm wishes,
Sincerely,
~J._.-:-. .. ~~ '
Cecil Andrus
Governor, State of Idaho
·PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
BOARD OF LAND COMMISSIONERS
Cecil Andrus
State Capitol Building
Boise, ID 83702
March 7, 1993
Subject:
for
Land Board's consideration of a public involvement process
State timber sales.
Gentlemen:
I am very concerned regarding any effort to "involve the public" in the
timber sale process for State timber sales. I have used quotations
because I believe that the term "involve the public" is very misleading.
have been involved in the NEPA process for many years now with the
Forest Service and I have come to the conclusion that it has been a waste
of time and effort. The effort to get ideas from a variety of interests is a
noble one, but from my experience this is not what happens in this
process. The whole process becomes a forum for special interest groups
to discuss their management philosophies and canvass for appeal
opportunities. I have watched as the Forest Service has turned the
qualified people we hired to manage our lands into mediators and
facilitators, and inadvertently implied to them that they no longer could
do their jobs. As a result these people have lost the confidence and
incentive to do the job we hired them to do. This is another example of
government starting with a good idea and ending up doing just the opposite
of what was intended. Instead of getting better management for our
Federal lands we have gotten worse. Don't let this happen to our State
lands as well.
I would encourage you to be very cautious in adopting anything that even
resembles the NEPA process for your State Lands. If its not broken, don't
fix it! , and its not broken. Any member of the public can go before the
Land Board and discuss any aspect of a proposed timber sale. The public
also has access through each Area office to proposed five year plans. You
have a process in place now that involves the public and it works. Your
sales program accounts for many jobs and much needed revenue. Your
people are professional and competent. I would hate to see the State
become entangled in the same mess that the Forest Service finds itself in.
MARGUERITE McLAUGHLIN
DISTRICT 7
BENEWAH. CLEA~1WATER IDAHO
LAT:4H &. LEWIS COUiHIES ,
HOME ADDRESS
704 FLOYD AVENUE
OROFINO, IDAHO 83544
(208) 476-4136
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Idaho State Senate
January 21, 1993
Steve Friedman,
Director "America Close Up"
NBC Nightly News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Dear Mr. Friedman,
CAPITOL BUILDING
BOISE, IDAHO 83720
COMMITTEES
FINANCE
COMMERCE & HUMAN
RESOURCES
RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
ENDOWMENT FUND I
INVESTMENT BOARD
IDAHO JOB TRAINING
COUNCIL
GOVERNORS ADVISORY COMMIITE::
ON WORKERS COMPENSATION
"Not even winter snow storms stop the logging of the Clearwater national Forest." These words
narrated the opening of America Close Up on NBC News viewed here January 5th. These words,
other statements and inappropriate visuals left millions of viewers with the impression that the
Clearwater area logging industry and its dependant communities were on a collision course of
greed with the U.S. Forest Service, the ultimate environmental steward!
Here on the Clearwater, logging is a traditional winter practice because the spring and fall are too
wet. Some winters are forgiving and provide the necessary freeze to sustain logging operations.
Other winters don't provide enough cold to support logging operations. In this country, loggers
operate about seven months or less.
The kind of inaccurate reporting woven into the show left an indelible image across America
viewers won't soon forget. It is another nail in the coffin in which are timber dependent
communities will eventually rest after their death by outsiders. Our communities, (some 25) are
largely dependent on forest industries that realistically can only be supported by private, state and
federal timber supplies. Until recently, the Forest Service was doing a reasonable job of providing
community stability and balancing the needs of forest users. Many of the issues receiving bad ink
about the Forest Service's inability to provide the Clearwater area a dependable and adequate
timber supply are emotional and managerial issues. They do not represent the real issues affecting
our people and the timber supply.
NBC's use of film footage unrelated to any species of fish in this area voiced over with inaccurate
statements charging the emotions of the viewer were disgusting to say the least! This imagery
combined with images of massive clearcuts from other regions foreign to the Clearwater implied
out logging is applied with total abandon to the needs of the environs and resident species. Those
people in the stream were Forest Service biologists performing stream monitoring and applying
a management technique known as electroshocking. The belly-up fish were acquired from Idaho
Public Television; stock footage they had gathered from somewhere out of the area for another
show.
None of us, Forest personnel nor the public at large can attest to having ever seen fish kills as a
result of logging.
The inference to old growth timber was misleading. While some of the Clearwater's sales contain
a few old-growth trees among its predominately second growth stands, these trees are not
considered part of the Forest Plan Standard which requires that I 0% of the forest remain as old­growth.
The news piece also stated that historically, the Forest Service gave its communities as
much timber as we wanted. The Service will be the first to tell America it gave as much as it felt
the land could stand to give in order to be in balance with other resource needs.
Overcutting in easily accessible areas has periodically occurred in the past, on all timberlands.
But, today thousands of acres of merchantable trees are locked up in "roadless" areas and have not
been entered for cutting since 50% of the Clearwater Forest was burned over at the tum of the
century.
Cutting is regulated by the Forest Plan. Forest Planners took all interested views into consideration
and the final plan reflected a compromise that made no one happy. The Forest Service didn't
"give in" to anyone as the newspiece indicated. Yes, mistakes were made in the past. But we
learned from these mistakes and have adjusted to the compromise necessary to provide the
environmental harmony we are proud of achieving in the Clearwater area. The present Forest
Service leadership has no excuse for locking the timber resource from the consumer for the past
year and a half while the "search" for answers to whatever dilemma they perceive is out there.
New personalities with non-traditional resource backgrounds, internal politics and a resistance to
move forward and solve whatever is holding up the flow of timber has left the Forest's leadership,
impotent. Some very fine staff and field personnel are totally stymied from getting on with their
work. The National Forest is in dire gridlock!
Leadership that understands people and forests is sorely needed to bring us back to the negotiating
table and the all important two-way communications we need to move forward. A Wilderness bill
for Idaho will be a big step forward in opening some of our roadless areas to multiple-use
management and providing pristine wilderness lands.
We invite you to visit the Clearwater. I will personally show you our many trees, rocks in the
bottom of our streams, dying trees and vigorous growing trees. I will show you a forest with a
potential of many uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, and timber harvest. You will see a
"land of many uses" - a land capable of sustaining this kind of management.
If reporters should continue to keep the freedoms they have in reporting news they also have a
responsibility to be accurate and unbiased. In these parts Tom Brokaw had always been respected
as an honest reporter and greatly admired by many. Needless to say this image has been tarnished.
Sincerely,
~~~~
Marguerite McLaughlin
Idaho State Senator, District 7
''·
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
Shane Orlea
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-1000
January 20, 1993
212 1/2 South 11th Street
Mattoon, IL 61938
Dear Mr. Orlea:
(208) 334-2100
I appreciate your concern for the national forests in Idaho.
In your letter, you described the destruction of the forests
and of the watershed and associated resources. By law, the
Forest Service must provide for the harvest of commercial timber
and can also allow other commodity uses, including livestock
grazing, mining, commercial outfitting, and/or recreation. These
resources can be provided on a basis that allows for their
sustained yield. This is no excuse, however, for poor land use
practices, and the state of Idaho has taken enforcement action in
the past, when appropriate, on federal lands.
Resource extraction activities must be conducted in a way to
minimize the impact on the other resources of the forest. These
methods must meet the need to manage and protect water quality,
fisheries, and wildlife habitat. Obviously the major problem is
how to minimize the impact of logging and other extractive
activities on land and other resources. Logging is often
restricted in certain areas in order to protect other resource
values.
The enclosed report from the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game notes the conflicts we experience in seeking to protect the
state's interest in the management of these federal lands.
With best regards,
CDA:abf
Enclosure
f/;-c
Sincerely,
Cecil D. Andrus
Governor
IDAHO" FISH & GAME
600 South Walnut
P.O. Box25
Boise, ID 83707-0025
August 21, 1992
The Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of the State of Idaho
STATEHOUSE MAIL
Boise, Idaho 83720
Dear Governor Andrus:
The Department of Fish and Game (Department) has received a copy of a
letter sent to your office by Ms. Antoinette Dwinga of Carnegie,
Pennsylvania. Ms. Dwinga wrote to express her concerns about Forest
Service activities in the Nez Perce National Forest.
The source of Ms. Dwinga's information is unclear, so we reviewed the
Nez Perce National Forest Plan (NPNFP), completed in 1987. The Nez
Perce National Forest contains approximately 2,218,040 acres (about
3,500 square miles). Of this total acreage, 926,188 acres are
classified as "Wilderness," and other areas are classified under less
restrictive prescriptions that prevent or limit timber harvest. Timber
harvest on the Forest has averaged approximately 85 million board feet
of timber per year during the decade 1976-1985. An annual "Allowable
Sales Quantity" (ASQ) of 108 million board feet was predicted for the
decade 1988-1997, although in reality the volume sold has been, and
likely will remain, below this level. Road construction (all classes)
was predicted to average 53 miles per year, with an additional 30 miles
of reconstruction, primarily for timber harvest access. (Source:
NPNFP, page II-9).
As you are well aware, the mission of the Forest Service is to provide
a mixture of products to the citizens of the United States (not only
timber but also minerals, livestock range, and recreation), while
protecting public resources including water, soil, fish and wildlife.
It was intended by Congress that products be managed under a philosophy
of multiple use and sustained yield of renewable resources, such as
wood products, livestock forage, and fish and wildlife resources.
Public lands are only rarely sold, and then only following thorough
public review of each parcel. Harvest of renewable resources was
intended to help finance the national treasury. Harvest of trees in
situations where no profit accrues ("below cost sales") has generated
considerable national controversy. So while Forest Service employees
are supported by taxpayer dollars of the citizens of the United States,
they are expected to earn their salaries through a mixture of products
from these lands and by making wise resource management decisions on
behalf of all citizens.
Cecil D. Andrus I Governor
Jerry M. Conley I Director
Equal Opponunity Employer
Dear Governor Andrus:
I Highly recommend you preserve the Remainder
Of Idaho’s National Forests. This logging has
Got to stop! I, and plenty of American like
Myself, would rather pay unemployment to a few
Loggers than see an irreplaceable natural
Resource devastated. I could not believe the
Ridiculous comment by a logger on national
News saying “they harvest wheat and corn don’t
They what’s the difference?” the difference is
That these crops grow in one season. As opposed
To two-lifetimes or more. Neither do they
Serve to prevent the erosion of natural watersheds
And stabilize the surrounding environment. Idaho
Is one of the Last states left to become
Ravaged by this crime. There is a major chain
Reaction that is the result of this insane
Practice; soil erosion, water shed damage, large
Percentage of fish populations killed, etc.
America would like to see a concrete stand
Against the continuance of this practice
Sincerely,
Shane Orlborn

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Full Text

MALHEUR LUMBER COMPANY
POST OFFICE BOX 160, JOHN DAY, OR 97845 (503) 575-2054
May 12, 1993
Honorable Cecil Andrus
Governor, State of Idaho
Boise, Idaho 83720-1000
Dear Governor Andrus:
Although I live in Oregon, much of the press and news coverage we
receive is from the State of Idaho, and specifically from the Boise
area. First of all let me say that I am a supporter of the way you
manage the affairs of the great State of Idaho. You seem to have
meshed very well the usage of raw materials your state has been
blessed with, while preserving the beauty and amenities that are so
unique to Idaho. I further am envious with the way you support and
protect the industries that have made Idaho so strong; specifically
mining, grazing, and the timber industry. In your attempt to continue
to support Idaho industries and their workers. I noticed a newscast
this past week that addressed the fact that some of the foothills fire
salvage timber was purchased by Oregon Companies, thus taking jobs
away from Idaho employees. I applaud your deep concerns for keeping
the timber and jobs local, but I feel I need to respond to you about
our own position since we purchased one of those timber sales.
Malheur Lumber Company is located in John Day, Oregon, about 180 miles
west of Boise. We built our sawmill in 1983 with assurance from the
Forest Service that they would meet their Forest Plan timber targets
on the Malheur, Wallowa-Whitman, and Umatilla National Forests. We
cut approximately 40 million board feet per year of ponderosa pine in
our sawmill and employ approximately 175 millworkers and loggers.
Like you, Mr. Andrus, we are very proud of our State, our community
and our employees. We have not missed a day of production since 1983
and intend to maintain that trend.
Our first three or four years of operation went basically as we had
planned with approximately 90% of the timber we purchased and used
being National Forest timber. Starting in 1987, the Wallowa-Whitman
and Umatilla Forest which supply timber to the LaGrande, Oregon
sawmills began large scale reductions in timber harvest and
specifically in ponderosa pine volume sold. At that point the Boise Cascade
plant based in LaGrande began bidding on the Malheur National
Forest and hauling logs 150 miles North from John Day to LaGrande.
Jobs and timber were being taken away from our communities and small ­business
operations by Boise-Cascade and transferred to their plants
in LaGrande. From that point on the competition for timber on the
Malheur National Forest has been extremely competitive as it now is
everywhere. Before Boise-Cascade began bidding extremely high prices
for the wood in our areas, the local sawmills were selling chips,
sawdust and shavings to Boise-Cascade to support their paper mills and
particle board plants. I can assure you now that we are not selling
residual products to Boise-Cascade because of their past practices and
bullying of small businesses. This is a view of Boise-Cascade that I
felt I needed to share with you how they are perceived in our area.
Our company does not enjoy the fact that we must go 200 +miles to get
the raw material we need to operate. We hope that we are not
displacing any workers in Idaho because of our actions. Mr. Andrus ,
I felt the need to point out some of the complexities involved in the
completion for timber and how some of the infringements in working
areas have taken place. It is simply not just Oregon mills coming to
Idaho to buy timber and putting Idaho people out of work. We're
fighting for survival and good part of our problem has come from
Boise-Cascade, an Idaho based industry, buying hundreds of Millions of
board feet of timber in what was once our working area thus putting
our people at risk of losing jobs and homes. Please don't get me
wrong, business is business, and I understand Boise-Cascade's actions.
I just ask that you see the e11tire picture and understand our need to
purchase logs in the Idaho area.
Thank you for taking the time to read my comments.
Sincerely,
Malheur Lumber Company
Tom Partin
Manager
CONSTITUENT AFFAIRS TRACKING
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Cecil D. Andrus
Number: 10327
Name: Earl, Elmer
OrgL
Address: River Route
Address: Zip: 83501 City: Lewiston
Date: 04/05/93
Class:IT
Type: Letter
Phone: (208)
SSN:
Phone: (208)
Case:
State:
County: Nez Perce
Assigned To
Andy Brunelle Date:04/05/93
Org.:Governor's Office
Phone: (208)334-2100 Due:05/05/93
Current Referral
Jerry Conley Date:04/05/93
Org.:Fish And Game
Phone: (208)334-3700 Due:04/19/93
Subject
Timber Issue--tky for help, but please help more
Notes
04/06/93 2:57 PM Tracking memo: Report to Governor on Your Letter Head.
04/05/93 Referred to Fish And Game, Jerry Conley
*****************************************************************************
ACTION:
Please look into the attached matter and send a report directly to the
Governor on your department's letterhead, bearing in mind that the
Governor may send it on to the constituent with his own letter and
return this form and all documentation to the Governor's office.
Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Dear Friend
April 1-1993
I wish to thank you for your prompt response to my timber marketing
problems, with the fish and game department. I have bin atempting
to get a paper alowing me to use my access road out to Waha ,every
since the game department aquired the land containing this road..
I had aproval from Sam Mcneal , Walt Berry and Walt Brown at the
local office here.. They sent letters to the main office requesting
rights for me to use this road. There was no responce.
Aparently My father gave Burdebt prince a paper alowing permishion for
him to use the road crossing our lands. I feal that the Earl ranch
shound have the same rights.
In Jerry Conleys letter of 2-4- 1993 he states that they would be
willing to discuss the use of the road crossing their property b/
between my upper property and the river. This would restore some value
to my timber, but the pperation would be excessley expensive as it
would cost at least a hundred dollars a thousand to ferry logs across
the river with a Helicoptor. To do selective loging like the
the land board recomended the amount of timber at a time would be to
small to justify bringing in a Helicopter. There is no reasonable reason
for not leting me use the road like we did before. Madden creek
which the road goes up was bone dry last fall. The road coming the
main captain John creek does not cross the creek on fish and game
land. and is not close enough to the .creek so that any gradeing would
get into the creek. On my upper place the road crosses a branch of
Captain John creek called Browns creek, this would require a culvert
or small bridge. With this,useing this road would create no
impact on any fish. There for there is no real excuse for all this
problum. I would sincerley apreciat anything that you can do to get
me a paper permiting the Earl Ranch a right to use our access road.
As for the wild life I feal that you have not bin acruatley informed.
In order for a govenor to make just desisions he needs to know bouth
side of the story.
Page 2
This is a report on the wild life and birds on the prince ranch.
When the game department acquired this ranch it had a history of
Wintering 350 to 400 head of cattle. In addition to these there was
Areound 175 to 200 head of eld wintered here, well over 75 deer and
Hundreds of Chucker birds. Under game department management the birds
And game and are down between 50 and 75 persent. Vast Areas of the
Hills are vocered with yellow star thissel. In places this makes
It almost imposable to walk. No birds live in these aeras.
What has caused all this sisaster is the disrubtion of the food
Sycle. By not allowing grazeing of the cattle the grass became unpalatable
For game. In about 6 years the deer all moved north
To the Waha aera, where cattle ate the grass off alowing
New desirable feed to grow. This also led the deer into the farms
Where they did so much damage that the people got up a patishion
Forseing the game department ot open the seaon. In a very short
Time over 80 persent of these deer were killed or woonded to they
Died. The game department was unwilling to admit that
Cattle had built up all the good wild life
Food in the past. In trying to restore the damage that they had done
They resorted to burning, which of course improved the game feed but
Was a total didaster to the Chucker birds. When ever you have a rage
Fire birds vacate the aera for 2 or 3 years. As a result of these
fires they lost virtualey all of their birds. Most of them flew over
across the river where they still are. Also I still have birds on
my land where there has bin no burning. In the
years that the game department has had the Prince Ranch they
have planted Chine Pesants and outher birds, they planted
many trees and sage brush. Not one single thing has survived. The
Bottome line here is that they couldn’t be posabley have done any
Worse. Ad for the access, before the game department acquired this
Land the road was kept locked part of the time out a Waha but
Many people had keeys to it and also there was a jeep road
Around this gate, so it ws not at all uncomen to have 8 or
10 cars by my place in hunting season. The game department
Has allowed no one to use a vehickle on this road except me.
In the 1950s the game department planted chucker birds on my
Land which I very much approved of, these multiplied like crazy
And became a wonderful asset to the bird hunting. Later they
Planted wild turkeys and mountain sheep on my property.
Page 3
Which I very much approved of, the turkey flock still stays most of
The time on my property and have gained but in few numbers,
This winter there is 27. The mountain sheep are about the most
Beautifull so called wild animules there is. But they also
The tamest of all wild animules ans so they like ot be around where
There are people. If they don’t hurt them they will come up
Up very close to you. They often swim the sanke river now spent most of their time
Over on the Washington side of the river where there is a heighway
Houses dogs a people. In the spring I see the very young lambs in
The road. Last year I had to stop 6 times to allow the hurd to get
Out of the roas on the way to Asotin, these sheep are a super
attraction for toursets, one day while takeing pictures a young
ram stoped by the side of my car so close I could almost touch
him. The fact that seer are disturbed by people is an elusion as
often they feed right in towns areound the aera. Elk like the
feed that farmers raise so they sleep in the brush around their
fields an feed in their fields at night. On oreg mountain here
the more it was logged and grazed the better feed got for the
eld, so huge hurds developed here since the 1930s. Where there but a
few head before.
I feal that government agenceys taeking the lands away from us
People is the worst didaster that has ever acured in the history of
The United Staed, and that they should not be allowed to equire
Anymore lands. All this problumb over this road here is caused by
Fish and game trying to forse my neighbors to sell to the. I am
Deeply conserned about this as their lands are part of my summer pasture
I feal that if the deal of the game department buying Cregmountain
Had bin property resircked this disaster might not have ever accured
Yours Truly
Elmer Earl
IDAHO FISH & GAME
600 South Walnut
P.O. Box25
Boise, ID 83707-0025
The Honorable Cecil o. Andrus
Office of the Governor
Statehouse
Boise 10 83720
RE: Elmer Earl
Dear Governor Andrus:
April 19, 1993
This is a follow-up to Mr. Elmer Earl's letter of April 1, 1993, regarding the use of the
Madden Creek access road on Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area as a logging haul road.
As stated in our earlier correspondence, we are concerned about the establishment of a pattern
of use by logging trucks on this road. Also, the residents of the Ponack and Waha Glen
subdivisions on this same road have expressed concern regarding logging traffic in the past.
In addition to the Earl property, there are other upstream landowners on Captain John Creek
who could also demand access to haul logs over the same road. This would create a long-term
disturbance to wildlife that is not consistent with our objectives for management of this
wildlife management area. We suggest that Hr. Earl meet with the other landowners to see if a
joint logging operation with a different haul route or helicopter use might be economical.
we are willing to continue the verbal access agreement mentioned by Mr. Earl which a allows
movement of livestock on the road and to allow access for administration of his properties,
but this access is restricted to Hr. Earl and his immediate family.
Our regional staff met personally with Hr. Earl and discussed this situation in detail. We
will continue to try and reach an agreement that will allow Mr. Earl to harvest some logs
without adversely affecting the Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
JMC:TP: 11
Cecil D. Andrus I Governor
Jerry M. Conley I Director
Equal Opportunity Employer
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-1000
A VIEW FROM THE CAPITOL
By: Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of Idaho
For use the week of
May 1, 1993
(208) 334·21 00
The white blossoms of the dogwoods and the pink of the cherry trees signaled
spring's rebirth last week in Washington, D.C. The spirit of renewal seemed to affect
everything -- including Idaho's Congressional delegation, which for the first time in
my experience agreed unanimously that we need at last to settle our wilderness
question.
This long festering issue must be resolved. As the chairman of a key House
oversight committee put it, continued resistance of Idaho interest groups to a
compromise will not serve our interests in the long run.
The chairman, Representative George Miller of California, the
environmentalists' champion on Capitol Hill, said a continued confrontation between
multiple use advocates and pro-wilderness groups can only result in the solution being
taken out of Idaho's hands. He urged us to involve local environmentalists so that
when the bill comes to Washington, their national groups can't say they were locked
out of the process.
Those of us in Idaho who can see the forces at work in Washington understand
how vital it is to come to terms over our wild lands. It is vital to the timber industry,
whose future supply of wood fiber lies locked away in nine million acres of roadless
territory that is de facto wilderness, and vital to outdoor enthusiasts and our growing
--2--
tourism industry, which leverages Idaho's splendid quality of life into big business.
In 1993, the stakes are greater than ever. And as national environmental ·
organizations increasingly turn their attention to Idaho, the last state to resolve its wild
lands, pressure will continue to mount.
Mindful of Congressman Miller's warning, Idaho's Congressional delegation
and I met last week to seriously plan how we can push a bill past the obstacles to
success -- intractable advocates on either side of the question who want it all their
way, and a Congress that views Idaho as "the wilderness state."
When I asked, "Do we want a bill?" all four of Idaho's members of Congress
said yes.
To move ahead, we decided to assemble two task forces, one to help solve the
sticky subject of water language and another to keep an eye on jobs. In addition, my
working group on timber supply and the Snake River adjudication process --both keys
to resolving a statewide wilderness bill -- will continue their work.
I believe any recognition of employment impacts from a wilderness bill should
never overlook the fact that more jobs are at risk by doing nothing than by doing
something.
Bi-partisan cooperation is crucial. Committee chairmen told their Idaho
colleagues and me that no bill should be submitted to Congress that we don't agree
on. Congress won't be Idaho's referee.
What to do about Idaho's wilderness expanse is a complex and emotional
question, but I've never been as optimistic as I am today that we will be able to solve
it ourselves. Why? Because this is the first time Idaho has ever had all four members
of its Congressional delegation committed to it.
--30--
WESTERN COUNCIL OF INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF" CARPENTERS AND .JOINERS OF AMERICA
May 6, 1993
The Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
State House
700 W. Jefferson
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Governor Andrus:
Enclosed for your information, please find a copy of the executive summary of a poll recently
released by the Western Council of Industrial Workers measuring Idaho voters' opinions regarding
timber jobs and wilderness issues. The poll was released last week at news conferences held in
Boise and Coeur d'Alene. I have enclosed a representative sample of the media coverage
surrounding the release of the poll for your review.
I believe the results of the poll speak for themselves -- A vast majority of Idaho voters agree (90%)
that timber jobs are somewhat or very important to Idaho. Almost half (49%) of those polled said
they are not willing to risk a single job to protect wilderness areas, while a majority (60%) favor
giving equal weight to protecting both jobs and wilderness.
Our union has long called for a solution to the wilderness debate that will protect a reasonable
amount of wilderness while providing sufficient forest land for multiple-use. The poll clearly shows
that Idaho voters also favor a balanced solution -- they recognize that we must protect jobs as well
as wilderness.
We hope that by continuing communication between our union, the Idaho congressional delegation,
specifically Congressman Larry LaRocco, and yourself, we will resolve the wilderness issue in a
balanced manner that addresses our union's concerns and the concerns of all Idaho residents.
We look forward to working with you. If I can be of further assistance, please call me at
503-228-0235.
Sincerely,
Michael Draper
Executive Secretary
enclosures
POLITICAL/MEDIA RESEARCH, INC.
IDAHO VOTER ATTITUDES ON
ECONOMIC/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
SURVEY REPORT
CONDUCTED FOR:
WESTERN COUNCIL OF
INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
MARCH 1993
1000 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 9 (LL), Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 338-4167
HOW THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED
This study was commissioned by the Western Council of Industrial
Workers in order to measure Idaho voter attitudes on economic and
environmental issues. The survey was conducted by Political/Media
Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from March 17 through March 19,
1993.
A total of 430 registered voters in Idaho were interviewed
statewide by telephone. Those interviewed were selected by the
random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A
cross-section of exchanges in the state were utilized in order to
ensure a balanced sampling.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by
statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4.8 percentage points
for the entire group. This means that there is a 95 percent
probability that the ''true'' figure would fall within that range if
all Idaho voters were surveyed. The margin for error is higher
for any subgroup of the sample, such as a district or gender
grouping.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
IDAHO WILDERNESS POLL
1) VOTERS UNIVERSALLY BELIEVE TIMBER JOBS ARE VITAL TO IDAHO
An astounding 90% of those surveyed agreed that timber jobs
are somewhat or very important to Idaho.
2) IDAHO CITIZENS ARE UNWILLING TO RISK JOBS TO PROTECT
WILDERNESS AREAS
Almost half (49%) said they are not willing to risk a single
job to protect wilderness areas, while 55% said they would
sacrifice 999 jobs or less. When asked how the prospect of
job losses and other human and economic costs should be
balanced with the goal of protecting wilderness areas, the
majority (60%) favored giving equal weight to protecting
jobs and wilderness.
3) A MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS ARE UNWILLING TO SACRIFICE FUNDING
FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT ADDITIONAL WILDERNESS
AREAS
Respondents were unwilling to sacrifice funding for schools
and communities by a 2-to-1 margin. A majority (57%) said
they were unwilling to sacrifice funding for schools and
communities to protect additional wilderness areas, while
only 29% said they were willing to sacrifice funding. Of
those willing to sacrifice funding, 31% said they were
willing to sacrifice 24% of the funding or less and 24% said
they were not sure how much funding they were willing to
sacrifice.
4) RESIDENTS BELIEVE SALVAGING IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE FOREST
HEALTH
Overall, 41% of those surveyed agreed that salvaging is
needed to assist in the prevention of forest fires and to
improve forest health, while only 25% thought dead and dying
trees should be left in the forest to assist in providing
natural habitat for wildlife. A remarkable 78% said they
would accept building temporary roads for salvaging in
roadless areas and 86% said they would accept salvaging in
roadless areas if salvaging could be done without building
roads.
5) BY OVERWHELMING MARGINS, RESIDENTS BELIEVE THERE IS ENOUGH
FEDERAL FOREST LAND CURRENTLY DESIGNATED AS WILDERNESS IN
IDAHO
When asked if the four million acres currently designated as
wilderness is too much, not enough, or about right, 83% said
the amount was "too much" or "about right." An astounding
68% said the current amount is "about right." When asked if
designating an additional 1.4 was too much, not enough, or
about right, almost half (47%) said this additional
designation would be "too much," while 34% said the
additional wilderness was "about right."
VOL 86 NO. 269 THURSDAY. APRIL 29. 1993 3 SECTIONS. 36 PAGES 50 CENTS
Poll: Idaho favors multiple-use
By staff and
The Associated Press
COEUR d'ALENE- A majori·
ty of Idaho voters favor giving
equal weight to protecting the
wilderness and saving jobs, says a
survey released by union repre­sentatives.
Speaking from the site of the
old WP Forest Products lumber
mill, labor leaders called for com·
promise in Idaho's wilderness
protection debate.
"We believe the forest should
be managed as a valuable
resource for everybody," said
Mike Pieti of the Western Council
of Industrial Workers, which com­missioned
the study.
Of a total of 430 registered
Idaho voters interviewed over the
telephone, 90 percent concluded
timber jobs were somewhat or
very important to Idaho. About 60
percent favored equal treatment
for timber production and wilder­ness.
"Idaho residents recognize if
we do not achieve a balanced
solution to the wilderness issue,
the economic stability of Idaho
and forest health stand at risk,"
Pieti said.
Based in Portland, the 30,000-
member council is the political
arm of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters and joiners of
America.
Pieti said the council endors­es
a solution that sets aside
KILMER
Mike Pieti of the Western
Council of Industrial Workers
joins other labor represent&·
tlves to call for balance in
wilderness protection legisla­tion.
some wilderness areas and
leaves others for multiple use
such as timber harvest and
recreation.
He said that his organization
has not yet taken a stand on the
wilderness bill introduced by
Rep. Larry LaRocco, D-Idaho, in
March, which proposes multiple
use for some of Idaho's remain-ing
9 million acres of roadless
land.
LaRocco's bill would release
2.5 million acres for multiple use
and designates more than a half­million
acres as special manage­ment
areas. More than 1.2 mil­lion
acres would be protected as
wilderness.
The poll by Political-Media
Research of Washington, D.C ..
also found half of those polled
were not willing to risk a single
job to protect wilderness. Six
percent said they would sup­port
the loss of 1.000 jobs or
more.
Some 57 percent were unwill­ing
to sacrifice funding for
schools and communities to pre­serve
wilderness, while 29 per­cent
would do so. Last year.
Idaho counties received $19.4
million from Forest Service tim­ber
sales receipts.
Overall, 41 percent agreed sal­vaging
dead timber after forest
fires is needed to protect the
health of the forest, while 25 per­cent
thought dead and dying
trees should be left to provide
natural habitat for wildlife.
Nearly 80 percent said they
would accept building temporary
roads for salvaging and 86 per­cent
backed salvaging if it could
be done without new roads,
which involves helicopter log­ging.
"Salvaging can provide some
timber for production. easing the
timber drought and keeping mills
open and protecting jobs," said
Lou Foruria, local carpenter
union president in Emmett.
He said the Fernan Ranger
District near Coeur d'Alene has
the worst root rot infection of any
area in the country, and called
the district one of the areas
where salvage would help "stem
the crisis."
A strong majority of those
contacted, 68 percent, said the 4
million acres already managed as
wilderness in Idaho is "about
right." Fifteen percent said it is
too much. Nearly half also
thought designating an extra 1.4
million acres of roadless land as
wilderness would be too much,
while 35 percent thought the
amount was "about right."
Union officials said they were
optimistic that log supplies would
increase by june, citing President
Clinton's recent promise at a
recent timber summit in Portland
for action within 60 days.
Pieti said a move to ensure
logs are further processed in the
United States, adding more jobs,
will work for public lands. But
many of the raw logs shipped to
Japan, for example, come off pri­vate
forests and are not required
to be processed further in this
country.
The margin for error was plus
or minus 4.8 percent. The
respondents had to be registered
to vote and actively go to the
polls, said Del Ali of Political­Media.
sidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become
a Ia w. But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be deter­mined
by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and
against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respec­tively.
If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days
(Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same
shall be a Ia w, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress
by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be
a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a
question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the
United States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved
by him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds
of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and
limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Sect. 8. The Congress shall have power
To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts
and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United
States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout
the United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several
states, and with the Indian tribes;
To establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on
the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and
fix the standard of weights and measures;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and
current coin of the United States;
To establish post offices and post roads;
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for
limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their
respective writings and discoveries;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and offences aginst the law of nations;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that
use shall be for a longer term than two years;
12
.,
·'
To provide and maintain a navy;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and
naval forces;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the
union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and
for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of
the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the appointment
of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the
discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such
district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular
States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the govern­ment
of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places
purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the
same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock­yards,
and other needful buildings; - And
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by
this constitution in the government of the United States, or in any
department or officer thereof.
Sect. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited
by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and
eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not
exceeding ten dollars for each person.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may
require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion
to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. No
preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to
the ports of one state over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to,
or from, one state, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.
No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of
appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of
the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published
from time to time.
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: - And no
13
•
Chubb Securities Corporation
Branch Office: 102 South 17th Street, Suite 200, Boise, 10 83702
(208) 343-977 4
OLANI B. BEAL, CLU, ChFC
Registered Representative
Apr i 1 6 , 1 9 9 3
Governor Cecil Andrus
Governor's Office
Idaho Statehouse
Boise, Idaho 83702
Dear Governor Andrus,
I read your recent comments regarding recommending the
President ban the sale of raw logs to foreign countries from
private landowners with great interest. Let's see if I
understand this position correctly- ·
It is my understanding that you are fully supportive of the
ban on cutting timber to preserve the spotted owl. This is
leading to the loss of a massive number of jobs, the
depression of entire communities and the spiralling costs of
building homes especially in the Northwest (which includes
Idaho, a State you have sworn to support and protect). Now
that you have thrust your entire support to the spotted owl,
you want to deny private landowners a basic right.
Would you please send by return mail the legal
constitutional backing you are basing this recommendation
on? I would be most interested to see how people in
governing positions can take. a radical environmental stand
and then break the law by "banning private landowners from
selling their products in their manner of choice to a third
party."
If you feel so strongly about owls and trees, why don't you
at least have the courage to accept the responsibility such
actions carry with them and not try to escape by placing
illegal burdens on people who are productive and are a
source of balancing our trade. Please Governor, send me
documentation showing your legal position, or recant your
recommendation to the President.
Sincerely,
Member Boston Stock Exchange, NASD and SIPC
United States
De)?artmcnt of
Agriculture
Dlopm~nt of the Steen Creek Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). The timber sale will salvage timber killed in the August 1992, Windy Ridge
Fire, F,nclosed yo~ will fmd the documc~nt's summary.
fl'he Final EIS explorC'n~ management op~ion.s for tl\e burned area., which lies within t'be Intlia.n
Creek 1l.c:>a.dlt.!S8 Area.. We have examined alternatives ra.nging fi'OOl No Action to varying degrees
of timber salva.gc and reha.hiliti:\Uon. The environmental, economic, and social impacts have been
highlighted for f.~a.ch alternative.
Alternative 3 is the proposc~d action a1tMna.tive. '!'his a.lkrnative, a.lon.g with tl1" other
considen,d a.ltcrnatiws, i!ll discussed in d•!ta.il in tb~ attached litm-ature.
Fire-killed timlu'r dctcriora.~c~ rapidly. As a. result, I have Mkcd the R.a.l within appmxitna.tely tlm next 30 dH.ys. I will1•ot
select a.n a.ltcnmtive a.nd 11ign the R.ec:urd of Decisiura for Steen Creek SaJvagf.' Timber Sale untU
tlu.~ Regional Forcs\01 ma.k1~~ a. decision on appeal ex~mption.
lf you have qtw~l,ions or cornrncntst pleas~ contact thH Counclllta.t•gcr Distrid1 P.O. Rux. 567,
Counc:il, Idaho 83612, (208)253--1215.
Copies of the Final J.:Js arc avallahl~ by reque~>t.
Sincerely,
~~~~.....,ti(A_~
DAVID F. ALEXANDER
Forest Sup~rvisor
F.ndosure
Summary of the
FINAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Introduction and Proposed Action
This Final Environmental Impact Statement ~Final EIS) discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative
effects of alternative salvage timber harvest and road construction actions in the Steen Creek Salvage
project area.
In August, 1992, the Windy Ridge Fire burned 17,500 acres before being contained and controlled.
The Payette National Forest proposes to salvage harvest fire-killed timber in Indian Creek, Bill Gulch,
Jim Gulch, Boulder Creek, Steen Creek, Degits Creek, Bull Gulch, and Elk Creek drainages on the
Council Ranger District (see vicinity map on the inside front cover).
The proposal is designed to achieve the goals and objectives, while moving toward the desired future
condition for resources as identified in the Payette National Forest Plan. Specifically, the project's
objectives are to:
• Salvage harvest fire-killed timber before the timber deteriorates. The timber would
meet current demands.
This can be accomplished by salvaging trees recently killed by the Windy Ridge Fire.
• Improve long-term health of the forest. This will help meet future demands for forest
resources by,
(1) salvage harvesting fire-killed timber and using the resulting funds to reforest the project
area, and
(2) convert mostly dead timber stands to regenerated areas with adequate snags, downed
woody debris, and live trees. This would provide future vertical and horizontal diversity to
meet Forest Plan direction for maintaining wildlife species viability.
Decisions to be Made Based on this Analysis
Based on the analysis documented in this Environmental Impact Statement, Payette National Forest
Supervisor David Alexander will make the following decisions:
• Should portions of the Indian Creek watershed be entered for salvage timber harvest and
management at this time?
5-1
and, if he decides to enter the area for salvage timber management now,
• How can the proposed action move toward the desired future condition for all resources
according to implementation of the Forest Plan?
• What harvest methods, (e.g., clearcut, reserve tree) should be used to ensure both
regeneration of harvest areas and long-term soil productivity, as well as providing habitat for
wildlife species and maintaining visual quality?
• What logging methods, (e.g., tractor, helicopter) should be used to minimize mechanical
disturbance and reduce impacts to soil productivity, water quality, and fish habitat?
• Where should cutting units and associated roads be located to increase diversity of timber
stand age classes and timber stand structures across the landscape?
• What management requirements, mitigation measures, and monitoring are necessary?
• To what extent should economic efficiency be considered?
Document Organization
This document follows the format established in the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regula­tions
(40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508). It is tiered to the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Forest Plan. Documented analysis in the Forest Plan FEIS will be
referenced, rather than repeated in some instances.
The document consists of the following main chapters:
- Chapter I - Purpose and Need for the Action
- Chapter II - The Alternatives Considered
- Chapter Ill - Present Condition and Effect of the Alternatives
- Chapter IV - List of the Preparers
- Chapter V- The Public's Involvement
The Major Issues
The major issues were identified through the scoping process are listed below. The issues are
phrased as questions.
Issue 1 - How will biological diversity be affected?
Issue 2 - How will wildlife habitat be affected?
Issue 3 - How will the timber stands be affected?
Issue 4 - How will water quality affect fish habitat?
Issue 5 - How will the soil be affected?
Issue 6 - How will recreation and visual quality be affected?
S-2
Issue 7 • How will the Indian Creek Inventoried roadless area be affected?
Issue 8 • What economic and socio-economic effects are expected?
THE ALTERNATIVES
Scientists specializing in timber, wildlife, fisheries, soils, watershed, and recreation drafted this
Environmental Impact Statement. They considered the following important elements when develop­ing
the alternatives:
• the goals, objectives, and desired future condition for the project area as outlined in the
Payette National Forest Plan;
• comments received from the public during the issue-scoping phase and on the Draft EIS;
• the laws, regulations, and policies that govern land development on national forests.
The team analyzed the following alternatives in detail:
Alternative 1 - No Action
This alternative provides a baseline to compare the effects of the action alternatives. No salvage
timber harvest or road construction would occur. Natural ecological processes would continue with
very little human intervention. The roadless character and wilderness attributes would not change
from development, except for effects of trail maintenance. The area would continue to offer motorized
recreation in a roaded modified setting.
Alternative 2 - Maximum Conventional Yarding
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area by building the entire proposed road transportation plan. This would
provide the most economic way of salvage harvest in terms of logging systems. The use of conven­tional
logging systems (i.e., tractor, skyline) would be maximized, and the use of helicopters for
yarding would be minimized. Roads would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This is the only
alternative where
• critical wildlife habitat areas would be salvage harvested, and
• special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist would not be implement­ed.
Alternative 3 - Conventional Yarding Emphasized (Selected Alternative)
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area by building most of the proposed road transportation plan. This
alternative would not build the section of road that crosses Degits Creek to access lower Bull Gulch,
or the roads that access the critical wildlife habitat area in Bill Gulch. This would provide an economic
way of salvage harvest in terms of logging systems. The use of conventional logging systems (i.e.,
tractor, skyline) would be emphasized, and the use of helicopters for yarding would be minimized.
Roads would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This alternative does not propose salvage
harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement the special snag retention guidelines
identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 4- Moderate Road Construction With Minimal Road Construction In the Roadless
Area
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area with a moderate amount of road construction. Roads would access
areas for conventional logging systems minimally entering the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This
alternative does not propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement
the special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 5 - Ridgetop Road Construction
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity with a moderate amount of road construction only on the ridgetops. Roads would access
areas for conventional logging systems and would enter the Indian Creek Roadless Area. This
alternative does not propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement
the special snag retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Alternative 6 - No New Road Construction
The goal of this alternative is to salvage dead or dying trees and improve the long-term timber
productivity of the project area with no new road construction; only existing road would be recon­structed.
Use of the helicopter yarding method would be maximized. This alternative does not
propose salvage harvest in the critical wildlife habitat areas and would implement the special snag
retention guidelines identified by the wildlife biologist.
Comparison of the Alternatives
Table SUM-1 below summarizes the features of the alternatives. Table SUM-2 on the next page
compares how the alternatives answer the major issues. (See Chapter Ill for the scientific and analytic
basis for the comparison.)
Table SUM-1. Summary of the Alternatives
Ait 1 Alt 2 Ait 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Total area treated (acres) 0 1,538 1,244 1,244 1,244 1,244
Suitable acres treated (%) 0 58 47 47 47 47
Timber volume (mmbf) 0 18.2 12.5 -- 11.9 --
Logging method (acres)
-tractor 0 454 395 395 373 367
-skyline 0 997 737 398 525 158
-helicopter 0 87 112 451 346 719
S-4
Table SUM-1. Summary of the Alternatives (continued)
Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Slash disposal (acres)
-lop and scatter 0 138 78 69 106 61
-machine pile 0 124 104 104 161 82
-broadcast burn 0 1,005 791 800 803 830
-jackpot pile • 0 271 271 271 174 271
Road Construction (miles) 0 13.5 10.3 6.5 6.2 0
s-s
Table SUM-2 - The Alternatives and The Issues
How will Biodiversity be affected?
Index of effects on sensitive plant species Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
-Bank Monkeyflower neutral negative neutral neutral neutral neutral
-Tolmie's Onion neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral
Acres of Old-growth Forest Retained 172 115 172 172 172 172
How will WlldiHe Habitat be affected?
Acres of Management Indicator Species Habitat Lost or Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6
Gained
Elk Habitat Effectiveness Rating for IRA 109
-1 to 5 years 24 22 23 23 23 23
-5 to 1 0 years 28 29 29 29 29 29
X: -10 to 15 years 31 38 36 36 •36 36
Elk Habitat Effectiveness Rating for IRA 11 0
-1 to 5 years 30 26 26 26 26 26
-5 to 10 years 48 44 44 44 44 44
-15 to 20 years 56 64 61 61 61 61
Vesper Sparrow
--Early successional stages remaining 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100
Williamson's Sapsucker
-Acres of suitable habitat remainin~:~ 512 384 512 512 512 512
Pileated Woodpecker
-Acres of Old-growth remaining 172 115 172 172 172 172
Acres of TES Habitat Lost or Gained
Flammulated Owl
-Acres of nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
-Acres of foraging habitat remaining 243 115 243 243 243 243
Northern Goshawk
-Acres of nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
How will Wildlife Habitat be affected? (continued)
White-headed Woodpecker
-Acres of nestlngJ1oraging habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
Great Gray ONI
-Acres roosting habitat remaining 243 115 243 243 243 243
-Acres nesting habitat remaining 512 384 512 512 512 512
How will the Timber Stands be Affected?
Preaent Net Growth Versus Potential (MBF/1 0 yrs at end Ah 1 All 2 Ah 3 Ah4 AhS Ah6
of rotation)
-Present net growth 132 132 132 132 132 132
-Potential net growth 443 2296 1950 1713 1764 1507
!! Reforeatatlon
-Acres salvage harvested before planting 0 1536 1244 1244 1244 1244
-Acres regenerated 936 1399 1334 1334 1334 1334
Percent of Acree Sllvlcuhurally Trqted to Identified Foreet 0 58 47 47 47 47
Plullntenolty
Avaltoble salvage Volume actually harvested
-percent of total 0 75 56 47 49 48
-board feet of total 0 18.2 12.5 11.4 11.9 11.8
Regeneration according to Identified foreat Plan levels
-percent potential for
future growth & yield 19 100 85 75 n 66
How Will Water Quality Affect Fish Habitat?
Percent OVer Natural Sediment Levela (modeled eotlmateo) Ah1 Ah2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 Ah6
(e-lng condition)
-lower Indian Creek Watershed
1991 9 9 9 9 9 9
1992 56 56 56 56 56 56
1993 19 58 55 39 34 23
1994 12 24 22 18 16 13
1995 9 17 14 14 13 11
-Middle Indian Creek Watershed
1991 20 20 20 20 20 20
1992 37 37 37 37 37 37
1993 23 34 27 25 27 25
1994 20 24 22 21 22 21
1995 19 22 21 20 20 20
Equivalent Clearcut Acree (modeled estimate)
t -lower Indian Creek Watershed 52% 52% 52% 52% 52% 52%
-Middle Indian Creek Watershed 30% 30% 30% 30% 30% 30%
How Will the Soli Be Affected?
Ah 1 Ah2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 AH6
Percent of total resource commhment 1.39 2.69 2.47 2.33 2.23 1.96
How Will the Indian Creek Inventoried Roadless Area fl·· Affected?
Ah 1 AH2 Ah3 Ah4 Ah5 Ah6
Roedleoo Acrn Developed 0 3835 3658 3658 3658 3658
AcrH of Indian Creek roadleaa aru
Remaining Eligible lor
Wilderness Consideration 6868 0 0 0 0 0
What Economic and Socio-economic Effects Are Expected?
p,...,., Net Value All 1 Alt2 AH3 AH4 AilS AH6
-Diogprice modeled estimate (millions of dollars) -1.9 2.87 1.46 1.19 128 1.03
Jobs and Income related to timber volume
-jobs 0 186 130 120 124 117
-Income (millions of dollars) 0 7.88 5.50 5.10 5.27 4.97
~
'
' • ' .. '-· j-'
Jd~--
Jd~l[]~~W~[OJ P
APR 13 1993
11"
~. •FFICE OF GOVERNOR
.J. D. WILLIAMS
STATE AUDITOR
OFFICE OF THE STATE AUDITOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-0001
April 9, 1993
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
State Lan4 Boar4 Member•
Governor Cecil D. Andrus
Secretary of state Pete T. Cenarrusa
Attorney General Larry EchoHawk
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jerry Evans
Stan Hamilton, D"Cil"rect
J. D. Williams ' •
State Auditor
1208) 334-3100
FAX 334-267 I
SUBJECT: Statements Received Regarding Public Involvement in State
Timber Sales
Attached our three additional statements that I received during the
last round of informational meetings in southern Idaho regarding
public involvement in state timber sales.
I anticipate that we will have a preliminary proposal for the Board
to consider at the April 13 meeting which if approved can be
finalized by the department staff for approval at the May meeting.
My feeling now is to recommend a policy for limiting public
involvement during the first part of the timber sale process. We
can consider putting this in place for the year and then review in
the summer of 1994 to see how it has worked during a full year's
cycle of timber sales planning activities.
Any questions, call me before the meeting.
JDW:pr
Attachments
MISSION: To ENSURE THAT STATE GOVERNMENT IS ACCOUNTABLE TO EVERY IDAHO CITIZEN.
Melinda Harm Idaho Conservation League
-No objection to the constitutional mandate that sets aside
the revenue from Idaho's state lands for our public schools.
-Are objected to attempts to keep public out of the public
involvement process such as last year's H.B. 722 and H.B. 331 both
having to do with judicial challenges and judicial review of timber
sales.
-Timber industry is not out to protect public schools, but to
protect themselves.
-They request notice to the public when the Land Board is
preparing a timber sales through mailings and advertisement.
-Also the seek public review and comment on completed action
document prior to the advertisement for bid or Land Board action.
-Schedule Land Board meetings to take action on the proposed
sale or program in the locale or region of the proposed sale or
program to encourage public attendance and discussion.
Randy Morris, Chair Committee for Idaho's High Desert
-Very concerned about any proposed changes in the procedures
for sale or exchange of state lands.
-They are watching closely the Big Springs exchange and trusts
that the Land Board and Commission will enact only procedures that
guarantee compliance with Article IX, Sec. 8 of the Constitution of
the State of Idaho.
-Please keep them advised of any further developments in this
area.
Tom Glass Past President Idaho State Snowmobile Assoc.
-Strongly encourages recreational consideration on public
lands but finds problems logistically in working with IDL.
-Understands the importance of the obligation to get the
maximum return for the school endowment funds on these public lands
but still pleads for some kind of "Memorandum of Understanding"
between them and the IDL.
-such a memorandum would outline and document groomed
snowmobile trails on state land.
-Wants such a memorandum due to the problems with the loggers
and logging production in the winter. The two interests clash often
during the snowmobiling season.
-Wants to pattern a state relationship after the one they have
with the USFS which, according to Tom, is a very good one.
J.D. Wi.llii'lms
Office of the Stale Auditor
Statehouse Mail
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Mr. Williams,
701 North 19th Street
Boise, ID 83702
April 4, 1993
This ls in response to your invitation for comments and
suggestions regarding a public involvement process for the
management actlvitle>< of the Idaho Department of Lands.
Thank you fnr this opportunity.
I am i'ln ;;.vld snowmobiler and past president of the Idaho
state Snowmotoi.le As~•ociation. Durinq my tennre in office I
received a 11umher of comments from our members concerning the
hiqh hi'lnded and sun,~times i'lrroqant responses they received
wh~n 7>P•:::ak i nq t.o mn.kP some ar.ranCl~ment or nccommodntion tor
snowm,)hi l\nq on St;dp lands.
It appo>i'lr•••i th.,t f-l)f• local manaqerfl In the State [,andfl
Departm~nt were 11ni'lble or unwlllinq to consider recreational
uses in mi'lki.nq l"lnlB.lnq a lnnq c•,l.,h]i,>lwd qroomed trnll only to flnrl on t:h"'
day of I. he "'""'',t l:i>eil: the part of the trai 1 on Stat!'> land has
twen ohlll•··rat:Prl clown to bau" dirt without: not.ir·e.
For the J.•a,;J· sPvr·ral yt>ars our snowmobile clubs have worked
hard to dP.v•>lop ,, qonrl working rf>lationghip with the U. S.
Forest Service tn identify potential conflicts, dP.Vf>lop
alternat.l.vf'c. and rear·h comrrnmi,,e f\olut.ions in arF>as when"
there are both snowmobiling and winter logging. These have
included developing alternatlvt> routes, re-scheduling timber
sales or requiring successful bidders to limit plowing of
roads or rt>move obsta to see us develop this same kind of
relationship wllh the managers of 011r state owMed lands.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment. I am
certainly willing t.o participate further in the process if I
can be of assistance. I can be reached in Boise at 344-9749
or Plncervllle at 302-6721 ..
\~ncerely, ~-·.. ~~~;--.....,_
)~ ol.ass ~"-.... \~.. ..
cc: Id.:tl1n PPpa.rt:mr·nt of P.=.rks & Recre~t ion
For Boise's informal public meeting regarding public involvement in state
lands decisions:
Let me first take a moment to thank you for all of your time and effort you
have taken to address this issue. As you know, we at ICL have been working
for some time now to help create a formal process for opening state land
actions to public involvement. This session, we introduced a bill that would
create such a process, S.B. 1175.
This effort is part of a larger campaign of ours to address the need for long­term,
comprehensive planning of state endowment lands. One point I think
is important to make clear from the outset is that we at ICL have no objection
to the constitutional mandate that sets aside our state public lands for our
public schools.
From our perspective, what is good for forest ecosystems Is good for public
schools. Our commitment to work with the Land Board and the Department
of Public Lands to create a public involvement. process reflects this
perspective.
In recent years, attempts have been made (successfully, I might add) to
keep the public out of the process. Last year, H. B. 722 put a 10 percent bond on
judicial challenges of forest sales. And just this session, H.B. 331, the trailer
bill to the Administrative Procedures Act, exempted any judicial review of
timber sales pursuant to the new AP A.
H.B. 722 and H. B. 331 are not bills brought forth by the legislature to assist
the Land Board in fulfilling its .trust obligations. They were put forward by
the timber industry, not to protect public schools, but to benefit themselves.
This is a dangerous precedent. when special interests can waltz into the
statehouse make laws that benefit them and shut everyone else out, it is time
for the citizens of Idaho and the members of the Land Board to take steps that
ensure that state lands are managed for the long-term needs of the school
children, not the Intermountain Forest Products Industry.
Public involvement is an important measure that helps provide this
assurance. Currently, the Department does not provide any notice to the
public when it is preparing a timber sale.
Long-term, sustainable management of endowment lands are needed
provide ongoing benefits to school children and responsible management of
the state's resources.
Public involvement will allow citizens to make sure that the decision­making
process respects the Department's obligation to protect Idaho's public
lands for the benefit of our schools.
This is essentially a question of accountability; it is not a question of
challenging the Land Board's fiduciary responsibilities. If the Land Board is
not accountable to the public, to the parents and the school children of the
state, then who are they accountable to?
ICL's Recommendations for Public Involvement:
--solicit public comment through advertisement and mailings at the
beginning of the planning process outlining the broad concept and the
location of the proposed activity;
--seek public review and comment on the completed action document
prior to the advertisement for bid or Land Board action; and
--schedule the Land Board meeting to take action on the proposed sale or
program in the locale or region of the proposed sale or program to encourage
public attendance and discussion. While we recognize the logistical difficulty
of such meetings, we do think that it is important that we recognize the
potentially valuable input that it lost when meetings are exclusively held
here in Boise.
Once again, thank you for your time this evening and for the time you've
taken throughout the state to gain the public's insight into this process.
At ten: Tlte HonoralJle Cec:i l D Andrus
Land Board Members
Tdaho Department nf Public Lands
1215 W State Street
Boise, Idaho s;n;:o- 7000
Dear· Governor Andt·us,
t; u . ./
The State of Idaho has historically managed the public
resources ir1 a spirit of cuoperatiotl, through a form of open
and honest. cumnmnication. I believe that. the Stat-.e of Idahu
currently has a good system to deal with concerns about
proposed activities planned on their lands. The public has
always had the right t.o express their concerns about state
activities, even to the highest elected officials in the
ctute, the members of the Land Board.
I am opposed to any state system of reviewing timber
sales and other activities, similar to that Ctlrruntly used by
the II S For·es1. Service because it has been abused by parties
to meet their own individual age11das. The Forest Service
system allows sales to be appealed due to procedural
inadequacies without regard to the on the ground results.
Last Friday, the Priest Lake district of the IPNF withdrew
their dvcLo;icm to sell small miscellaneous timber sales under
100 MBF (salvage sales) because they would be appealed. The
District knew that they would loose these appeals because
they had not prope1·ly fulluwed the procedure of their system.
The 1991 sales target on the IPNF was 240 MMBF. The
actual 1H91 "'ales un the IPNF was 178 MMBF. This reSLllted in
a projected revenue loRs of $1,724,065. Bonner County School
Superintendent Gary Barton is anticipating a loss of from
O!le·third to one-}lalf in Forest S8rvlc~ 1·eceipts wl1en
c:ompared t(} previous years. Both Oregon and Washington art--::
curt·ently experier1cir1g school btldget deficj.tt~ du0 to reduced
rc~venue;;::~. The D~::~partment (If Publ.l.c Lands ill the State c,f
Idaho Ctlrrently haR a program that ger1erates $2~,(100,0(10 per
year· f(Jt' the pLtbliu schools of IdallCJ.
The i"3lat.e of Idaho holds title to the endowmicJners to manage
the J.ands 111 sucl1 a manner as will 8ecure thP maximt1m long
term financial retut"n to the inc,til.ution to which granted.
I mtwt wonder why the Idaho Com.:erv.>tion League aud
utlwt· •.'nvlronmental gruupc: recently td with any rules
fo t' pub l ·i c i nv would
secure the .maximum long term financ~ial rettl:t'll tn the
in~titutlons. I believe> that the State of Idaho currently has
:., gouti :.:;y,_d.em that. workc-.. It deale. wl th the concerns ahout
proposed activities t.!Jr.:>ugh a f"rm of open and honest
cumtnurlicatioll. I continue to suppot·t this historical process.
;;:;J-U/ Norm Suenkel
P (J Box 1567
Priest River, Idaho
83856
WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE
1709 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 200061" Telephone: 202-638-G3op
Facsimile: 202-638-0036 Telex: 64414 WRIWASH · \ ,I · I '. \....~ ----~
March, 1993
Dear Friend:
It gives me great pleasure to send you a copy of a new WRI report that considers one
of the most vexing questions facing tropical forestry today: is sustainable forestry possible
in natural forests? This report, Survivint~ the Cut: Natural Forest Mana~:ement jn the Humid
TrQpjcs, examines the record and potential of natural forest management -- often defined
as the selective harvest of timber in natural forests -- as a conservation strategy for the
world's beleaguered humid tropical forests.
Nels Johnson and Bruce Cabarle --both foresters with WRI's Center for International
Development and Environment -- find little encouragement in the record of attempts to
establish natural forest management practices in the humid tropics. One reason for this
limited success has been insufficient attention to what should be two basic objectives of
natural forest management: maintenance of the ecological health of the ecosystem and
provision of local social and economic benefits. Re~irected toward these goals, and provided
a strong institutional base grounded in the local communities, natural forest management
could provide a sound and sustainable development option in some regions, far preferable
to habitat conversion or the establishment of plantations.
As renegotiation of the International Tropical Timber Agreement begins, the findings
of this report are especially relevant to the debate over how to advance the cause of
sustainable forest management. I welcome your reaction and co=ents.
Sincerely,
(Ywi0._)uL
Printed on Recycled Paper
Jonathan Lash
President
Governor
Ce
Idaho State Senate
January 21, 1993
Steve Friedman,
Director "America Close Up"
NBC Nightly News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Dear Mr. Friedman,
CAPITOL BUILDING
BOISE, IDAHO 83720
COMMITTEES
FINANCE
COMMERCE & HUMAN
RESOURCES
RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
ENDOWMENT FUND I
INVESTMENT BOARD
IDAHO JOB TRAINING
COUNCIL
GOVERNORS ADVISORY COMMIITE::
ON WORKERS COMPENSATION
"Not even winter snow storms stop the logging of the Clearwater national Forest." These words
narrated the opening of America Close Up on NBC News viewed here January 5th. These words,
other statements and inappropriate visuals left millions of viewers with the impression that the
Clearwater area logging industry and its dependant communities were on a collision course of
greed with the U.S. Forest Service, the ultimate environmental steward!
Here on the Clearwater, logging is a traditional winter practice because the spring and fall are too
wet. Some winters are forgiving and provide the necessary freeze to sustain logging operations.
Other winters don't provide enough cold to support logging operations. In this country, loggers
operate about seven months or less.
The kind of inaccurate reporting woven into the show left an indelible image across America
viewers won't soon forget. It is another nail in the coffin in which are timber dependent
communities will eventually rest after their death by outsiders. Our communities, (some 25) are
largely dependent on forest industries that realistically can only be supported by private, state and
federal timber supplies. Until recently, the Forest Service was doing a reasonable job of providing
community stability and balancing the needs of forest users. Many of the issues receiving bad ink
about the Forest Service's inability to provide the Clearwater area a dependable and adequate
timber supply are emotional and managerial issues. They do not represent the real issues affecting
our people and the timber supply.
NBC's use of film footage unrelated to any species of fish in this area voiced over with inaccurate
statements charging the emotions of the viewer were disgusting to say the least! This imagery
combined with images of massive clearcuts from other regions foreign to the Clearwater implied
out logging is applied with total abandon to the needs of the environs and resident species. Those
people in the stream were Forest Service biologists performing stream monitoring and applying
a management technique known as electroshocking. The belly-up fish were acquired from Idaho
Public Television; stock footage they had gathered from somewhere out of the area for another
show.
None of us, Forest personnel nor the public at large can attest to having ever seen fish kills as a
result of logging.
The inference to old growth timber was misleading. While some of the Clearwater's sales contain
a few old-growth trees among its predominately second growth stands, these trees are not
considered part of the Forest Plan Standard which requires that I 0% of the forest remain as old­growth.
The news piece also stated that historically, the Forest Service gave its communities as
much timber as we wanted. The Service will be the first to tell America it gave as much as it felt
the land could stand to give in order to be in balance with other resource needs.
Overcutting in easily accessible areas has periodically occurred in the past, on all timberlands.
But, today thousands of acres of merchantable trees are locked up in "roadless" areas and have not
been entered for cutting since 50% of the Clearwater Forest was burned over at the tum of the
century.
Cutting is regulated by the Forest Plan. Forest Planners took all interested views into consideration
and the final plan reflected a compromise that made no one happy. The Forest Service didn't
"give in" to anyone as the newspiece indicated. Yes, mistakes were made in the past. But we
learned from these mistakes and have adjusted to the compromise necessary to provide the
environmental harmony we are proud of achieving in the Clearwater area. The present Forest
Service leadership has no excuse for locking the timber resource from the consumer for the past
year and a half while the "search" for answers to whatever dilemma they perceive is out there.
New personalities with non-traditional resource backgrounds, internal politics and a resistance to
move forward and solve whatever is holding up the flow of timber has left the Forest's leadership,
impotent. Some very fine staff and field personnel are totally stymied from getting on with their
work. The National Forest is in dire gridlock!
Leadership that understands people and forests is sorely needed to bring us back to the negotiating
table and the all important two-way communications we need to move forward. A Wilderness bill
for Idaho will be a big step forward in opening some of our roadless areas to multiple-use
management and providing pristine wilderness lands.
We invite you to visit the Clearwater. I will personally show you our many trees, rocks in the
bottom of our streams, dying trees and vigorous growing trees. I will show you a forest with a
potential of many uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, and timber harvest. You will see a
"land of many uses" - a land capable of sustaining this kind of management.
If reporters should continue to keep the freedoms they have in reporting news they also have a
responsibility to be accurate and unbiased. In these parts Tom Brokaw had always been respected
as an honest reporter and greatly admired by many. Needless to say this image has been tarnished.
Sincerely,
~~~~
Marguerite McLaughlin
Idaho State Senator, District 7
''·
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
Shane Orlea
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
STATE CAPITOL
BOISE 83720-1000
January 20, 1993
212 1/2 South 11th Street
Mattoon, IL 61938
Dear Mr. Orlea:
(208) 334-2100
I appreciate your concern for the national forests in Idaho.
In your letter, you described the destruction of the forests
and of the watershed and associated resources. By law, the
Forest Service must provide for the harvest of commercial timber
and can also allow other commodity uses, including livestock
grazing, mining, commercial outfitting, and/or recreation. These
resources can be provided on a basis that allows for their
sustained yield. This is no excuse, however, for poor land use
practices, and the state of Idaho has taken enforcement action in
the past, when appropriate, on federal lands.
Resource extraction activities must be conducted in a way to
minimize the impact on the other resources of the forest. These
methods must meet the need to manage and protect water quality,
fisheries, and wildlife habitat. Obviously the major problem is
how to minimize the impact of logging and other extractive
activities on land and other resources. Logging is often
restricted in certain areas in order to protect other resource
values.
The enclosed report from the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game notes the conflicts we experience in seeking to protect the
state's interest in the management of these federal lands.
With best regards,
CDA:abf
Enclosure
f/;-c
Sincerely,
Cecil D. Andrus
Governor
IDAHO" FISH & GAME
600 South Walnut
P.O. Box25
Boise, ID 83707-0025
August 21, 1992
The Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of the State of Idaho
STATEHOUSE MAIL
Boise, Idaho 83720
Dear Governor Andrus:
The Department of Fish and Game (Department) has received a copy of a
letter sent to your office by Ms. Antoinette Dwinga of Carnegie,
Pennsylvania. Ms. Dwinga wrote to express her concerns about Forest
Service activities in the Nez Perce National Forest.
The source of Ms. Dwinga's information is unclear, so we reviewed the
Nez Perce National Forest Plan (NPNFP), completed in 1987. The Nez
Perce National Forest contains approximately 2,218,040 acres (about
3,500 square miles). Of this total acreage, 926,188 acres are
classified as "Wilderness," and other areas are classified under less
restrictive prescriptions that prevent or limit timber harvest. Timber
harvest on the Forest has averaged approximately 85 million board feet
of timber per year during the decade 1976-1985. An annual "Allowable
Sales Quantity" (ASQ) of 108 million board feet was predicted for the
decade 1988-1997, although in reality the volume sold has been, and
likely will remain, below this level. Road construction (all classes)
was predicted to average 53 miles per year, with an additional 30 miles
of reconstruction, primarily for timber harvest access. (Source:
NPNFP, page II-9).
As you are well aware, the mission of the Forest Service is to provide
a mixture of products to the citizens of the United States (not only
timber but also minerals, livestock range, and recreation), while
protecting public resources including water, soil, fish and wildlife.
It was intended by Congress that products be managed under a philosophy
of multiple use and sustained yield of renewable resources, such as
wood products, livestock forage, and fish and wildlife resources.
Public lands are only rarely sold, and then only following thorough
public review of each parcel. Harvest of renewable resources was
intended to help finance the national treasury. Harvest of trees in
situations where no profit accrues ("below cost sales") has generated
considerable national controversy. So while Forest Service employees
are supported by taxpayer dollars of the citizens of the United States,
they are expected to earn their salaries through a mixture of products
from these lands and by making wise resource management decisions on
behalf of all citizens.
Cecil D. Andrus I Governor
Jerry M. Conley I Director
Equal Opponunity Employer
Dear Governor Andrus:
I Highly recommend you preserve the Remainder
Of Idaho’s National Forests. This logging has
Got to stop! I, and plenty of American like
Myself, would rather pay unemployment to a few
Loggers than see an irreplaceable natural
Resource devastated. I could not believe the
Ridiculous comment by a logger on national
News saying “they harvest wheat and corn don’t
They what’s the difference?” the difference is
That these crops grow in one season. As opposed
To two-lifetimes or more. Neither do they
Serve to prevent the erosion of natural watersheds
And stabilize the surrounding environment. Idaho
Is one of the Last states left to become
Ravaged by this crime. There is a major chain
Reaction that is the result of this insane
Practice; soil erosion, water shed damage, large
Percentage of fish populations killed, etc.
America would like to see a concrete stand
Against the continuance of this practice
Sincerely,
Shane Orlborn